Prophesy After the Fact
by Marie Nomad
Summary: After Not Fade Away, Angel found himself dead and meeting the embodiment of Shanshu. Litterally. Now, he gets to be alive again but in another man's body with another man's life. What will he do now?
1. The Real Shanshu

All characters except for Shanshu belongs to Joss Whedon. Shanshu and Will's family belongs to me. I did not make any money off of this.

Prophesy After the Fact

Part One

By Marie Nomad

Rain poured as Angel stood up from the carcass of the dragon. Hordes of demons come in from all sides as the four stood against the darkness. He fought for hours. He lost sight of his fellow fighters and felt so alone. The demons kept them apart, except for the occasional explosion; he didn't know what was going on.

Then, he felt something surge in his system. Out of nowhere, he leapt high into the air and jumped into the horde of demons. A bright light came out of his body and he vanished into a flash of dust.

Angel blinked as he found himself in the Hyperion and then felt his body. In front of him was Illyria tending to the still breathing Gunn and Spike. They were all wounded but alive. "Glad to see all of you alive." He said finally. They were silently contemplating. "Look, I know that battle was hard and that I really don't know how we got out but can…" He became annoyed when no one was even looking at him. "Hey!" He yelled as he grabbed Spike's shoulder only to see it went through. The man stared at his hand and then waved it several times through Spike's head. "I'm dead, again."

"You've always been dead."

Angel looked behind to see a young teenage girl dressed in a normal t-shirt with blue jeans. She had bright pink hair and purple eyes. "You can see me?"

"Yeah." The girl said as she rolled her eyes. "You're a spirit trapped in the folds of the afterlife. You're not going to Hell and you're not going to Heaven."

"Where am I going?"

"New Jersey."

"What?" Angel had to shake the confusion out of his brain. Did she just say that she was going to send him to New Jersey?

"Come on. Let's go somewhere less… distracting." The girl took his hand and in a whirlwind, they appeared in a coffee café.

"Why are we here?"

"Why are we here? The classical philosophy of those who had too much time on their hands." The girl sighed and Angel glared at her.

"I mean, in this coffee place, and why am I a ghost?" Angel demanded as he grabbed her by the arm. "Are you sent by the Senior Partners?"

"Those guys? Ha! No way and I'm not sent by the Powers That Be either. This place makes you the most comfortable and I thought that we could talk there. As for the next question….You know about the Shanshu prophesy? You know, that prophesy that involves a nasty apocalypse and you being dead and reborn?"

"Well, I have some familiarity with it." Angel said calmly as he remembered signing that destiny away.

"I'm Shanshu." Shanshu said as she put both hands on her chest.

"You're the prophesy? I…" Angel looked at her. "You don't look like the prophesy type."

"Have you ever met a prophesy?" Shanshu asked as she pouted. Angel remained silent. "I don't think so. Look, you have been in worlds with two suns, you have manipulated memories, people you care about come back to life on a regular basis, what makes you think that prophesies are just words written down by insane old men who can glimpse into the future while writing French backwards?"

"I see your point. Sorry." Angel said looking uncomfortable. "I think you should go to Spike. I signed my destiny away."

"Spike has a different destiny. You're the one for me." Shanshu said as she put her hand on his chest. "I know about whole signing away bit. Those Senior Partners have little idea on how strong I am. You see, I'm not just a prophesy, I'm 'She who Brings Out Impossible Births', that's what Shanshu means in the ancient language. All those crazy creations, Conner, Jasmine, Michael Jackson's kids, all those are my doing."

"Okay. So, what do you want to do with me?" Angel asked as he shook his head.

"Well, you see, if you have just been turned into a human, things would be hard. You have no documentation, no life on paper; you don't even have a driver's license. Not only that but there are demons that are very mad at you and vampires who would love to bring Angelus back." Shanshu explained. "You actually made things easier by making it so your body can't be turned back into being Human."

"Uh huh. What can you do?"

Shanshu sighed, "As a CEO of a law firm, you must know that for every contract, there is a loophole. I can't turn your body back but what I can do is put your mind and soul into a human body, like that movie with Chris Rock."

"You can do that?"

"Sure, it's a little tricky. For one thing, you can't exactly tell everyone that you are Angel. Your new family will think that you're insane and by the time you're done, you won't know where your friends will be. Also, you can't go off demon hunting like you do before. Your new body won't be able to handle it." Shanshu explained.

"Sounds logical." Angel said as he bit his lip. "Will I remember everything?"

"Yeah, but it will be like a dream. You will remember stuff but it will be foggier. It's to make your transition easier." Shanshu said, "Hopefully, you won't meet the people from your past life."

"With my luck?"

The being paused and said, "Just think positive. Want to say goodbye to your friends?"

Angel pondered and shook his head. "No, they know how I felt. Besides, Illyria and Spike might notice me if I go back. Take me to New Jersey."

"Okay, hold on tight." Shanshu took his hand again and vanished.

**XXX**

Angel's head throbbed as he opened his eyes. The first thing he was aware off was the annoying beeping in the heart monitors. The second thing he noticed was that a middle aged couple was sitting by his side. The third thing he noticed was the huge tube down his throat giving him air. He looked at the two and then the middle aged woman looked back at him.

"Oh my god! Jacob! He's awake!" The woman sobbed as she knelt by his head. "Are you okay?"

Angel just nodded. These people are worried about him but he didn't know them. "It's okay, son." Jacob said as he held his hand. "We're going to get the doctor."

"Dr. Simmons!" The woman cried out.

"Yes?" An old doctor with glasses came up and gasped as he looked at Angel. "You're awake!"

Angel lifted his free hand and gestured to his breathing tube.

"Oh, yes, we will take that out soon. Do you remember what happened?"

The man shook his head. He didn't know what happened to this body but it must have been serious.

"Well, you were in a car accident with your sister about a year ago. You had been in a coma and I thought you were brain dead." Dr. Simmons explained and then Angel grabbed his hand. He stared at him wildly. He didn't want to deal with a dead sister, not again, even though this girl wouldn't really be his sister, he didn't want her to be dead.

"It's okay. Leia's fine." The woman said calmly, "She is at school right now."

Angel relaxed and then looked at his breathing tube again. He has questions, lots of questions, like what his new name was and who was this woman. He started to point to his breathing tube and make a motion of getting it out.

"Yes, yes, I know. We'll get that out." Dr. Simmons smiled slightly as he took the tube. "Now, breathe out on the count of three. One… two… three." The man pulled and Angel coughed out the tube.

"Water." Angel hoarsely said with his throat was parched with thirst.

"Of course." The woman handed him a glass of water and he gulped it down.

"Thanks." Angel paused and then looked at his bracelet. His medical bracelet read out, 'William Smith'. "My name is William?" He couldn't help but felt like Shanshu had a warped sense of humor. Spike's human name was 'William', he called him that back when he was Angelus and mad at him. Not only that but if people called him 'Will' then he would be 'Will Smith'.

"Yes, of course. You don't know your name?" The woman asked.

"No… I'm sorry. Who are you two? Are you my parents?" Angel asked as he looked up at them.

"Oh god." The woman sobbed as she grabbed his hand. "I'm your mother, Elizabeth Smith and this is Jacob Smith. Let me show you what you look like." Elizabeth looked into her purse and held out a hand mirror.

Angel gazed into the mirror to see a dark haired man with chocolate colored eyes. He had a strong jaw and looked like someone in a football team. "I'm sorry, he… I don't remember that face." Angel said as he handed the mirror back.

"Don't worry; we'll get your memory back, William. You can help him right?" Elizabeth pleaded to the doctor.

"I don't know. It was a miracle that he even got out of his coma. So, permanent memory loss is possible. He may also show a different personality than before. We need to take more tests." Dr. Simmons explained. He looked down at Angel. "We're going to do brain functioning tests and cat scans to see how much brain damage you have."

Angel nodded. It was perfect. They know that amnesia is possible in him and with brain damage, he could act the way he wanted to and they can blame it on the brain damage. "Just do what you can, doctor."

**XXX**

The day flew by as Angel endured test after test. He played with blocks, did logic exams, and he had to go through the CT scan a few times. He never liked enclosed spaces, especially after his three month vacation in a steel coffin in the bottom of the ocean. Finally, he was done and he was relaxing in his bed.

A young dark haired girl knocked at the door and came in. "Hi. Do you remember me?"

Angel stared at her and shook his head. "Sorry, you're my sister right?"

"Yeah, I'm Leia. Dad was a real Star Wars fan." The girl laughed as she came in and sat down next to him. "Do you remember anything like in the accident?"

"No, in fact the earliest thing I can remember was waking up this morning." Angel couldn't help but feel guilty. Leia was the same age as Buffy back when he first met her. This girl was young and wearing a green school uniform. "So, Leia. Maybe, things will jump start if you tell me a bit about me. Like how old am I? What day is it? And do I have a girlfriend?" He found himself praying that he doesn't. The last thing he needs is to have a girlfriend he never met before.

"Oh, sure. You're 27. It's April 11, 2005. You don't have a job and no girlfriend. Ummm… you're a musician hoping to make it big."

Angel's eyes widened. It had been six months since he had died in the alley. What happened to him during that time? "I can sing?"

"Yeah, you're a great singer. Really into heavy metal." Leia smiled slightly. "I'm in high school, senior year, so much is going on."

"I bet." Angel paused and asked, "Where is this place? I mean, I know that I'm in a hospital."

"Oh, you're in the Sunnydale Hospital in Sunnydale, New Jersey." Leia replied as Angel's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. He had ended up in another Sunnydale in New Jersey. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just… that name sounded bad that's all." Angel said, "Kinda ominous."

"Well, there was this Sunnydale in California that got hit by a powerful earthquake and imploded while everyone was out on vacation. Don't worry, there are no earthquakes here."

"What about vampires?"

"Vampires?" Leia repeated as she paled slightly.

Angel nearly slapped himself on the head. He had forgotten that normal people don't talk about vampires like they are real. "Never mind. Stupid question. Brain damage and all."

"Yeah, just don't worry. Vampires don't exist." Leia said as she shook her head. "I'm going to go and get your stuff. Mom and Dad were so worried about you."

"I'm sorry." Angel looked up at her. "I really don't remember you but I hope we get along. Really."

"Sure. I'm busy a lot with after school stuff but I'll try to visit as much as I can." Leia bowed her head and walked away.

Angel watched her and laid his head back. "Oh man."

"What do you think?" Shanshu asked as she appeared out of nowhere. "Pretty nice. Eh?"

"This is weird." Angel confessed, "I'm a different man and…" He put his hand over his much smaller muscles. "I have to work out."

"It's your body now."

"What happened to the real William?" He asked, "Did he die or did I push him out?"

"Oh, he was in there before I got him out. He was practically bored to death. I mean, that coffin thing you were in for three months was nothing compared to being trapped in your mind." Shanshu said as she sat beside him. "I offered him a chance to get out and help someone so he gave me his body in exchange of getting him out and into the afterlife."

"So, he was willing to do this." Angel sighed in relief.

"Of course. You can't just abduct a mind and soul out of the body without permission." Shanshu said as she smiled. "It's your body, your life; you can do whatever you want."

"Good." Angel nodded. "I have plans."

"It's good to have a plan. I have to go. I'll be watching." Shanshu vanished in a whirlwind.

"How does she do that?" Angel wondered as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

To Be Continued…


	2. Coming Home for the First Time

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Two

By Marie Nomad

Angel gazed out of the window of the SUV in excitement. He had spent a couple of days dealing with physical therapy to recover from his body being in a coma for so long. The doctors were impressed on how fast he healed despite his 'brain damage'. Adjusting to a new body hasn't been hard. He had past experience with a body swap with an old man. At least his body is younger and healthier and he won't die any time soon. Now, he can finally get out and do the stuff he wanted to do like eat real food, go out for a walk in the sun, and finally figure out what to do with his new life.

"Here we are." Jacob said as he pulled into a driveway of a normal looking house in the suburbs. It was white with blue shutters with a garden in front.

"Wow, it looks normal." Angel said as he got out and closed his eyes. "Ahhh…" The warm sun beat down on his skin for the first time in what felt like forever. It was much warmer than the necroglass that he used at Wolfram and Hart. He opened his eyes to see his new family staring at him. "Been in that hospital too long. Missed the sun."

"Of course." Elizabeth opened the door and on habit, Angel stood just outside waiting to be invited. "Oh right." He came in on his own. Inside was a lush house with a stereo system, TV, and even exercise equipment.

"Nice place." Angel commented. His parents told him that Elizabeth was a pharmacist and Jacob was an electrician that led very busy lives. He had to admit, Shanshuu had put him in a very nice place.

"Let me take you to your room." The woman said as she took his hand and lead him to a door. "I haven't touched it since the accident. I wanted everything to be like it was before."

"Thanks, Mom." Angel said as he opened the door and saw before him a disaster. Dirty clothes were scattered all over his floor, he had a computer with pizza boxes all around. The instruments were caked with dust while lying on the amps. "This is my room?"

"Yes, does it bring back any memories?" Elizabeth asked.

"No but… can I spend some time alone please? Maybe, try to absorb what's in this room?" He asked as he picked up a shirt.

"Sure, I will get lunch ready. I'll make your favorite." Elizabeth smiled at him and then left.

Angel's smile dropped as he stared at the room. It looked like the Apocalypse had erupted in this room. "Looks like I have some cleaning to do."

**XXX**

Angel wiped his brow as he piled all of the clothes in an empty laundry basket. Even without his vampire sense of smell, he could still smell the stench of the year old dirty clothes. He finished putting the pizza boxes to the side when Leia came in and her jaw dropped.

"You're… you're cleaning!" The girl exclaimed as she looked down at the floor. "I can actually see the floor!"

"Was he- I mean, was I always this messy?" Angel asked as he picked up a pair of moldy underwear with a pencil.

"Yeah." Leia nodded blankly. "I was just checking to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine." Angel said as he looked around. He sat down on the bed. "How could anyone live like this?"

"I don't know. Say, Josh is coming over to see how you're doing. He's your best friend. He would've visited but he was banished from the hospital after that… incident." Leia winced, "He may seem a little weird but he's cool."

"Okay, just let me clean up this first." Angel said as he looked around. "I can't let them see it like that." He paused and then asked, "Did I do anything… wrong? I mean, like drugs, sex… or anything… dark?"

"Not that I know of." Leia shrugged, "But, you had been a little weird. But, I love you for that."

Angel picked up another t-shirt that read 'Living Dead'. "I see that."

All of a sudden, a cell phone rang and Leia sighed. She answered it. "Hello? Now? Okay, okay. I was just helping Will with his memory problem. Okay. Bye." She hung up and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Angel asked as he put down the shirt.

"No! Not at all!" Leia hugged him and he hugged back. "You just take care and don't rush things. I have to take care of some errands. Do you need anything?"

"Scented candles. The vanilla type." Angel answered. "And some matches. If I don't smoke."

"Okay." Leia ran off. Angel shook his head and went on into his work.

**XXX**

Angel lay on the bed exhausted. After several hours, he had finally made the room livable. All of the dirty clothes had been piled up, his bed was made, his instruments are cleaned up, and he had managed to arrange his CD collection in alphabetical order.

"Hey, Will!" A tall blond guy with a goatee with tattoos all down his arms came in. He had several rings on his face and ears. "What's up? Heard you're back from being brain dead and all." He looked in the room and gasped, "Whoa… it's… clean."

"Yeah. And I'm keeping it like this." Angel said as he looked at him. "Who are you?"

"Huh? Oh, the amnesia thing." The blond hit his head. "I'm Josh. Josh Stansworth. We're like best buds."

"I see." Angel smiled at him. He looked strange and he talked like a beach bum. "So, Josh…How are you?"

"Oh, the usual. I'm part of a new band which is wicked and I can get you a part too." Josh said as he sat down. "I'm glad you're back, Dude. It hasn't been the same since the accident. You don't remember a thing do you?"

"No, but we can get to know each other again." Angel said as he held out his hand. Josh seemed somewhat trustworthy but he felt strange. He wasn't Will and he couldn't let anyone know. It was as if he had stolen Will's life but he was brain dead. The best he could do was to make Will's life count.

"Cool." Josh shook his hand. "Maybe, we can shoot some pool and pick up some chicks…"

"No, I can't." Angel said as he looked down. "I mean, I'm not exactly right for picking up girls. I could barely remember what my name is."

"But, that's the best part. You're all tall dark and mysterious. You don't even know who you are. That will attract the chicks." Josh said as he grinned.

Angel blinked. He had been tall dark and mysterious and only a few girls had been attracted to him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. The amnesia thing is a great way to get girls. You and me, we can get laid by tomorrow."

"No thanks." Angel stepped back. "I… I'm a little uncomfortable with all this. Can I have some time to sort out everything in my life? I… I don't want to get some poor girl in trouble."

"Oh. Okay. Wanna hang for a while?" Josh asked.

"Sure." Angel said as he lay back on his bed again and Josh lay beside him.

"Ahhh…"

There was a knock on the door and Elizabeth came in. "William? Joshua? Lunch is re- The room is clean!" She gasped as she looked around. "Oh my god. I can actually see the floor."

"Yeah, I had to clean it." Angel replied and the older woman hugged him.

"This is wonderful!" Elizabeth gazed at the room again. "Come on down stairs."

"Sure thing, Mom." Angel said excited that his 'mother' actually approved of his cleaning.

The three went downstairs and Angel saw a vast spread of different foods. His stomach rumbled and he put his hand on it. "Wow." He sat down to see his father sitting there. "Hi, Dad."

"Hi." Jacob looked at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused. But, I'm fine." Angel said as he fidgeted. He had eaten his first father; he didn't want to make the same mistake. Jacob had been the busiest and the hardest to connect with but he had to do it.

"He cleaned his room. I mean, it looks good." Elizabeth gushed as she hugged Angel again. "He's changing."

"I bet." Jacob looked at him again.

Angel picked up his plate and started piling stuff. His mouth drooled at the smells of the different food. He recognized them as some kind of tofu type with salads and macaroni. He really didn't care. All he got to eat was some hospital food which was interesting for the first day but it tasted like cardboard after that.

He and Josh started eating. Angel winced but kept on eating. He didn't want to disappoint his 'mother' by not finishing his food. "Where's the meat?" He asked as he looked around.

Josh choked and said, "Meat? That's murder, Dude."

"You're a vegetarian." Elizabeth said, "Unless, you want to eat meat."

"Oh no, I forgot." Angel smiled as he eat again. "This does tastes great."

"Good." Elizabeth sighed as she hugged him. "I can cook some meat for you for dinner. Okay?"

"No need." Angel said as he hugged back. He was a vampire so he had to feast on things that once lived. Plants don't feel pain, at least plants from Earth. He had eaten the flesh of humans and animals for the blood so being a vegetarian won't be bad.

"I… I have to get to work." Jacob got up and walked out of the house.

Angel frowned as he left. "Does he hate me?"

"No! No. This amnesia is a little tricky for him." Elizabeth said firmly. "He loves you and so do I."

"He's always been a major pain in the butt." Josh observed as he finished his food. "Ah, well, I gotta go. Bye, Mrs. S." He hugged Elizabeth and saluted Angel. "Chou for now." He walked out of the room.

"He's interesting." Angel observed as he looked out of the window.

"Yeah. Does he bring back anything?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"No. I've been trying but… nothing. Maybe, I won't be able to get my memory back at all." Angel said worried. He knew that there was nothing wrong with his memory except that he was in the wrong body.

"Just keep on trying." Elizabeth said as she picked up the dishes. Angel stood up and helped her. "You don't have to."

"No, I insist. I've been… in a coma for so long. It's the least I could do." Angel said as he gathered the rest of the dishes and asked, "Where's the kitchen?"

"That way."

"Thanks." Angel went off with the dishes.

"He cleans his room and he washes the dishes." Elizabeth sighed as she watched him leave.

**XXX**

Angel sat on his bed again as he looked through the papers. Apparently, Will had written music which was interesting and something Spike would've loved. He paused as he thought of the vampire. What happened to him? Did he went off to Rome like he had been trying to or was he hiding from the Senior Partners? His old friends, most of them are dead and only a few are left. He should try to contact them but he really didn't see the point. Buffy and her friends don't trust him. His few friends think he was dead. And who would believe that he was really Angel brought back to life in another body?

"Let's see what kind of music Will listens to." Angel said as he put a CD in the player and turned it on.

In a blast that would rival a nuclear bomb, a heavy metal song shot out of the speakers and into his ears. "GAH!" He crawled back to the player and turned it off. "He has the same tastes as Spike." He said as he lowered the volume and took out the CDs.

"Spike?"

Angel turned to see Leia, tired, holding a bag. "I mean, this guy." Angel said as he held up a CD cover of a heavy metal star with spiky hair.

"Oh." Leia handed him the candle. "I love this. It's so clean. But, why vanilla scented candles?"

"Oh… this nurse smelled like vanilla so I thought… I like it." Angel said as he grinned. "I met Josh. He's a nice guy."

"Yeah, he is but a real… space cadet." Leia sighed. "I'm sorry I took so long. My errand took longer than I thought."

"That's okay. Am I really a vegetarian?" Angel asked, "Mom told me that I was."

"Yeah." Leia sat down and winced slightly.

"Are you okay? You look hurt."

"Oh, I'm fine. I just tripped while walking backwards and fell on my butt. Really embarrassing." Leia laughed as she patted her knee.

"Oh." Angel nodded. Something about Leia's behavior felt strangely familiar. He couldn't figure out what but it must be something bad. "Say, I noticed that I have some money and I want to redo the room. Can we go out to the mall to do some shopping? If we have one, right?"

"The mall? Sure. We can shop."

"Good."

"I have to change and get a shower." Leia said as she got up. "I can drive you there."

"Great."

Leia left and Angel took a deep breath. "Shopping. I'm going shopping." Angel said as he looked at his stuff. He wanted to get some decent music that doesn't involve destroying his eardrums and some drawing supplies. He had a checkbook with a decent amount of money in it. He could use it to make some changes in Will's life. To do that, he was willing to do anything; including shopping with his teenage sister.

**XXX**

Leia glanced at Angel nervously as she drove the car down the street. "Are you sure you want to do this on your first day out?" Leia asked again.

"I'm fine. I want to go out and get some CDs. Do I have any arch enemies that I need to be aware of because you seem a little nervous?"

"No, not at all." Leia laughed. "I didn't want you to wear yourself out."

"I see." Angel said as he leaned back and adjusted his outfit. He was wearing his long sleeve black shirt with black pants and a long coat. At least his clothes didn't need much changing. The long black duster is in right now.

"When are you going to start singing?"

"I don't sing." Angel said automatically and then stopped.

"Wha?"

"I… I don't feel too comfortable about singing in public." The man said as he fidgeted. He realized that he was in a body of a musician who dedicated himself to his work.

"Oh man." Leia moaned. "Well, maybe that will change after you get your memory back."

"Sure." Angel looked down again remembering that he does have his memory.

**XXX**

Angel had never seen the mall in such brightness. People were bustling around lost in their worlds, not knowing the true world outside. He stared around looking for a good music store when he saw an ice cream booth. "Ice cream." He rushed to the booth with Leia behind him. Like a kid, Angel put his hands on the window and saw chocolate chip mint ice cream. "I want a large chocolate chip mint ice cream please." He said eagerly.

"You got it." The vendor said as he scooped up the ice cream. Leia stared at him and then got herself a vanilla cone twist.

"Ice cream." Angel started to shovel it into his mouth. "Cold!" He gasped and then started again.

Leia ate her ice cream and said, "William, you hated chocolate."

"I did?" Angel asked as he stuck his spoon in his mouth. "I don't know why. I just love the stuff. Maybe… the amnesia changed my taste in food."

"Maybe." Leia finished her ice cream.

After the two finished their ice cream, Angel saw the Sam Goody and rushed in. Leia followed him stunned at his over excited behavior. Instead of going to the heavy metal section, he went to the soft pop section and got a few CDs. Leia looked over his shoulder. "Barry Manilow?"

"I… heard his song on the radio." Angel said as he looked at his CD.

"Barry Manilow?"

"He had a good voice."

"Barry Manilow?!" Leia screamed causing everyone to stare at them.

"Come on." Angel took her shoulder and led her away.

The counter clerk looked at him. "Will! What's up? I haven't seen you all year."

"Oh, I've been in a coma." He held out his CDs. "I want these please."

The clerk scanned them and stared at them. "Barry Manilow?"

"Just give them to me." Angel said as he handed the money.

**XXX**

Angel walked out with his CDs in his bag. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Barry Manilow doesn't sound like something that Will would have enjoyed. He knew that he couldn't make changes in Will's life without drawing attention but he couldn't enjoy some of the things that Will loved. He had to be himself.

The man paused and saw an art and crafts store. "Perfect." He came in and bought a set of charcoal pencils and a few pads of paper.

"What's that?" Leia asked as she saw the stuff.

"Art supplies. I want to do some drawing." Angel explained.

"Drawing? Since when do you draw?"

"I… don't know. I have amnesia, remember?" Angel shrugged.

"Okay…" Leia stared at him. "First the room, then the ice cream, then Barry Manilow, and now drawing. What is going on?"

Angel put down his stuff and hugged her. "Hey, I'm sorry if I'm scaring you. I know that I'm not acting like I'm supposed to but… I am not the same man that you knew before."

"You can say that again." Leia returned the hug and then stepped back. "It's… it's that you were hurt so bad and I thought you would be all normal after you woke up but you're acting weird, more…mature."

"Maybe, I'm growing up."

"Heh. I still think it's weird that you like Barry Manilow now."

"What's wrong with Barry Manilow?" Angel asked insulted about his taste in music.

"It's… Barry Manilow. That is just so wrong on many levels!" Leia said as they went down the mall.

"He's a good singer."

"He's not your type." Leia argued and then her cell phone rang. She picked it up. "Yeah? What? Again! Okay, let me get Will back home. Bye." The girl smiled apologetically. "I have another errand to do. We have to go."

"All right."

**XXX**

Angel and his new family ate around the table. It was surreal to be in such a normal setting talking about work and therapy without having to include words like 'dead' or 'ancient prophesy'.

"And those rats just ate up those wires." Jacob finished as they ate. "It was frightening."

"I can imagine." Angel laughed as he finished his second plate. Leia was poking her food. She had just come in only a few minutes ago. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Nah. I kinda ate." Leia started to eat again.

"You are getting thin. You're not getting anorexic are you?" Elizabeth asked, "You are looking so tired and thin."

"Just stress. I'll be fine." Leia sighed as she looked at Angel.

"What?" The former vampire asked.

"Nothing." The girl reached to the dessert dish and uncovered it to reveal a pile of brownies. "I made brownies."

"Oooh...." Angel took one and studied it. It looked very much like the brownies Cordelia tried to make with an old family recipe. Wesley was scared too death to try one and he couldn't taste them thanks to dead taste buds. Carefully, he bit into it. He winced at the slightly bitter taste. Then, he remembered staying with some hippies and trying out some interesting brownies. That was when that he discovered that vampires can become stoned. "What's in this?"

"Oh, just some… herbs. They're herbal brownies. Supposed to revive the memories." Leia explained.

"Okay." Angel swallowed his bite. Jacob and Elizabeth bit into their brownies and winced as well.

"I think you need to work on the taste and not make any more herbal brownies." Elizabeth said as put the brownies away.

"Oh… sure." Leia stared at Angel. "Do you feel any different?"

"No. Are you sure these herbs are not dangerous?"

"Yeah. I had a specialist recommend them to me." Leia stared at him and said, "Well, I better go."

Angel watched her leave and asked his father, "Ummm… Dad, is Leia okay? She's been acting… strange. Is it because of me?"

"No. She had been like that since the accident. She was there when you had that accident." Jacob replied, "Always going off and trying to support you while you were in that coma."

"She was feeling guilty for not being to help?" Angel guessed. If there was one thing he knew about besides blood, it was guilt. Now he was feeling guilty for having her brother's body walking around and it wasn't his decision.

"Yes, but she was getting better after you woke up. She'll recover." Elizabeth said as she took his hand.

"I hope so." Angel said as he put more food on his plate. Leia wasn't happy with him. He couldn't blame her. She and her family were expecting him to remember stuff that he never experienced. Still, he couldn't be the son they lost but he will be better.

**XXX**

"He was listening to Barry Manilow. That's not right." Leia said as she sat in her locked room. "Yeah, it's that he never called me 'Lei' or did a noogie, or anything like that. He even wanted vanilla scented candles. I put the herbs in the brownies like you said. No change. He's not a demon. Yes, I know that accidents would make people act differently but nothing like this! Okay, I'll watch him for a few months. Thank you so much for the help, Buffy." Leia hung up and reached into the closet to get out a wooden rod. She sat down and started sharpening it into a stake.

To Be Continued…


	3. Six Degrees of Separation

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Three

By Marie Nomad

When one thinks of Heaven and Hell, mortals believed that they are on opposite ends of the known realm. However, it was far from the case. In the higher realms, Heaven and Hell existed next to each other with a fine line between them. In those realms, the entities watched in a place that if a mortal would see it, they would see their home.

Shanshu sat in the sofa with the remote in her hand watching the young man getting out of the office on the wide screen flat TV. The room was covered in TVs or crystals where every entity watched along with seats. It was the place made for all entities so there are always room and chairs.

"So, that's him." Cordelia said as she sat next to the entity. "Not bad."

"He's adjusting well." Shanshu looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching. This is so much better than cloud city." Cordelia leaned back on the sofa. "Makes me feel so alive again. No thanks to a certain deity."

"It was meant to happen! I did not write the script or the storyline!"

"You are for this one."

"True."

"What are you going to do to Angel now?" Cordelia asked as she watched anxiously.

"Nothing. I'm going to give him the normal life that was promised in the written form of the prophesy." Shanshu answered, "His sister is a slayer but with all of the other slayers out there, the demons won't attack Angel."

"That's so dull." Cordelia pouted, "He's miserable without his friends and he can't even find out what is going on."

"It's about moving on. He needs to be cut off from his former life." Shanshu argued.

"Not like this! He might as well be dead!"

"He was dead! Death and Birth are two halves of the same coin! That's why my name means both life and death. Don't you dare interfere with me." Shanshu said as she stood up and her body glowed. "Angel is under my jurisdiction. No one, not the Senior Partners or the Powers that Be have any right to his fate but me!"

"Fine." Cordelia smiled as she looked at the man on the screen. "I gotta go. Later." She vanished in a bright sparkle of light.

"Oooh! I am so glad she's gone." Shanshu said as she tapped her foot. "She thinks that she is so hot. I need to cool off." She vanished in a whirlwind.

XXX 

Angel's heart pounded as the sun beat down onto his skin. His lungs hurt as he pushed his body to the limit. The flowers were blooming in the garden as Angel trudged his way to his front yard and collapsed onto his back.

"It's good to be alive."

"You better get up before cramps settled." A kind old voice said. Angel looked up to see an elderly Japanese man with white hair, glasses, and a cane standing in front of him.

"I know. Thanks. Who are you?" Angel asked as he struggled to get up.

"I am Ryoma Yamamoto." Ryoma said as he bowed. "Your little sister works for me at my greenhouse."

"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Yamamoto." Angel said as he bowed back and then winced at his pain. "I just had a hard workout."

"So I see. We know each other for a long time." Ryoma said as he studied him. "So, William, how are you coping? Do you remember anything?"

"No. I guess Leia told you about my amnesia." Angel shrugged as he and Ryoma got into his house.

"It troubled her greatly but she is a strong girl… Barry Manilow?"

Angel took a deep breath as he stretched. "She told you about that too."

"We have a close relationship. She comes to me when she has problems that she could not tell her family." Ryoma explained and Angel stared at him. The ex-vampire couldn't put his finger on it but there was something odd about the elderly man. Maybe it was his paranoia but Ryoma just felt strange.

"How close?" Angel asked cautiously.

Ryoma blinked and then laughed. "Oh no. Not like that. I like to think of Leia as a granddaughter I never had. I have some salve for your muscles. It has worked for many generations." He reached into his pouch and got out a jar of strange smelling salve.

"I'm willing to try." Angel said as he accepted the jar. "I better go. Thank you, Mr. Yamamoto." He limped back into the house and nearly ran into Leia.

"Mr. Yamamoto!" Leia exclaimed as she rushed out of the house. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I was here to let you know that Giles-san is here along with his young charge, Buffy. He wanted to know if you want to come to share some tea with us."

Leia's eyes widened. "Really? Sure. That would be great. She could really help me with Will. At least, figure out what's going on with him."

"I know. He seems like a very nice and polite man."

The slayer frowned. "That's not how he usually treats you. He was more… blunt. Something weird is going on."

"I understand but I believe that there is never good or bad that happen in the world but what is meant to be. Only our reactions to what happens make it good or bad." Ryoma philosophized.

Leia sweatdropped. "I know you for two years and I still don't understand you."

"You will but first, let us have some tea."

XXX 

Angel sighed in relief as he rubbed the salve over his aching legs. "That was refreshing." He looked down and saw a familiar looking black circle over his left breast. "Huh?" It vanished before his eyes.

"Yo!" Josh said as he entered the bedroom. "What's up?"

Angel looked at his chest again. "Nothing. I was just working out and recovering."

"Cool. Ryoma's special healing salve is so rad. I nearly got wasted when I tried to surf in that storm. Major mistake but that salve really helped." Josh recalled. "Oh! Ready to go down to the Deep Below Nightclub tonight? There are major babes down there who miss you totally."

The ex-vampire just shook his head. Josh had been trying to get him to go to that nightclub for several days and he couldn't. He didn't want to try to meet up with some strange woman and find out a little too late that she was one of the undead. With his luck, he may end up as Angelus again. "I don't know. I'm not ready to get into a relationship right now."

"Dude, I'm not talking about a relationship. I'm talking about having fun for one night with a warm beautiful girl in one hand and a cold beer in the other. I just want you to be happy. Ever since you got out of that coma, you've been… dull. I mean, you listen to Barry Manilow and you haven't even gotten out to party. It's like you're a totally different guy. I'm worried about you, Bud."

Angel sighed deeply. He had been a little shy when it came to people outside of his new family. While, he saw people every day, he found it hard to talk to them about anything. "Well, okay. I'll go to the nightclub with you but that's it. I'm not going to try to get together with any girls or do anything stupid." Angel clearly said, "I don't want to get into any relationships or one night stands yet. That's not the way I work."

"Okay, no picking up girls. Maybe, you can do some singing."

"No singing."

"Dancing?"

"No dancing."

Josh stared at his friend. "Dude, who are you and what did you do with Will? It's like you're a pod person."

Angel's jaw dropped as he backed away. Did this strange man figure out what happened? His heart pounded. What could happen? "Me? A pod person? No, no absolutely not."

Josh laughed as he put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "I'm just joshing with you, dude. Man, you're way too serious."

"One of my flaws." Angel admitted, "Okay, I'll try to socialize tonight. What's the worse that could happen?" He smiled uneasily.

XXX 

"It's a complete disaster." Leia moaned as she and Buffy sat in the greenhouse on a bench. "Will is working out, looking for a job, cleaning, and he doesn't listen to heavy metal any more. He's… a pod person!"

Buffy sighed softly. She had dealt with many things as the 'Elder Slayer' as everyone seems to call her despite the fact that she was only 25. She had helped train and counsel slayers with their problems after the calling but soon she wasn't needed so much after the basics were enforced. Now, she was trying to find her own way while still helping Slayers. "I had been through my own crisis and people change to cope. Your brother is the same way. We did the tests and he's normal. He's not possessed by any gods, he's not been turned into a demon, and he's not a pod person. Pod people don't even exist."

"I just feel… he's like a stranger to me." Leia held herself. "It's my fault he's like this."

"You didn't know what was going to happen." Buffy said firmly, "You're a slayer and these things happen. You should call yourself lucky that's all that Will been through. He could've been turned into a vampire or worse."

"Yeah, but… I'm greedy, I want my old brother back." Leia leaned into Buffy and she hugged her with one arm.

"I'll talk to him and see what he's really like. If he's evil, then we will just find a way to turn him back. I promise." Buffy vowed as she held on to the younger slayer.

"Thanks. But, how are we going to get you to meet him without him getting suspicious?"

"I have a plan."

XXX 

Angel's jaw dropped. He could not believe it. He didn't want it. "A blind date!"

"Please!" Leia pleaded, "She is a really good friend who's in town! She's very nice and really good looking."

"If she's so good, then why does she need to go on a blind date?" Josh asked as he ate a carrot stick.

"She just had bad luck with men. It's nothing big, just a dinner date tonight." Leia said as she crossed her fingers.

"No way! Will's going with me to get some real women!" Josh announced as he put his arms around Angel.

"We're just going to a club." Angel muttered under his breath. He didn't like the idea of meeting any of the girls that Will had known and probably had sex with before. Then, an idea popped into his head. "How about this girl meets us at the Deep Below?"

"Awesome! We can get the girl a date there!"

"No!" Angel looked away. He felt bad but he wanted to use his blind date as a shield against any women who want his body. At least he wants to be with a girl who would be just as awkward about this as he was. "I'm sure she will have a good time there."

"Good. I'll tell her. Meet us in the club at six sharp." Leia said as she smiled at him and then ran off.

"My first blind date in so long." Angel muttered as he watched his sister leave. "I have to find out what she's like, should've asked for her name and number."

"Well, you could always sneak in and poke into her room." Josh suggested.

"No way. I'm not going to invade my sister's personal space just because I am curious about my blind date." Angel said firmly. "Besides, the door was always locked."

"Bummer. Leia is so paranoid. Especially after your accident." Josh recalled. "I blame it on teenage hormones."

"Maybe." Angel held his head. "I wonder why Leia is so insistent of me going on this blind date? She doesn't trust me."

"Who knows? I never understand girls." Josh said. "Especially that one."

"Maybe, this blind date can help us figure Leia out." Angel pondered. Leia was mysterious in her own way. A part of him was afraid that she may not as normal as he hoped but the other part figured that he was just being over paranoid as usual. "I better get ready. Why don't you take me there at 5:30?"

"Sure thing. You'll love Deep Below." Josh said as he grinned. "Later." He walked out of the room.

Angel closed the door and took a deep breath. "I better start getting ready." He said as he went to the drawer. After he had gotten back to life, he never went outside in the dark. The knowledge of what really lurks after sunset frightened him to no end. He really didn't want to be outside during a full moon. "I had to get out sooner or later."

XXX 

"A blind date." Buffy muttered as she looked over her wardrobe. Her heart pounded as she got out some clothes. The last time she went out on a blind date, it turned out to be an evil demon. Of course, this was different for her since she thought up the blind date and knew William from Leia. Still, she was nervous about meeting the man for the first time. It had been a long time since she went out on a date with anyone who didn't know what a slayer was and vampires really exist. There was the fact that Leia thinks that Will is really a demon of some sorts despite the herbal brownie recipe she gave her. Leia had good instincts about this sort of thing but it was very personal for her and that clouds even the best Slayer's instincts.

She slipped on her stripped white shirt with black pants and boots and put 'Mr. Pointy' in her jacket. "Let's go."

**XXX**

Angel felt uneasy memories creep up to him as he and Josh entered the nightclub. It was a typical club filled with flashing lights and young men and women dancing. He glanced at all of the giant fish tanks lining the walls and he remembered the time he spent at the bottom of the ocean with nothing but hallucinations and the passing fish as his companions.

"What is with the fish tanks?" Angel asked as he clutched his fists.

"Oh, that. This used to be an aquarium until the owners redid the place completely." Josh replied as he put his arm around Angel's shoulders. "Relax. This is a place to party. There hadn't been any accidents since the piranhas were taken out."

"Piranhas?" Angel repeated.

"Oh, Will…" A tall redhead with blue eyes and a slinky outfit came up and hugged Angel making him wish he could just disappear like he normally did as a vampire. "I missed you so much. Things weren't the same after that little accident you had."

Angel stumbled back. "Uh… er… who are you?"

"Vicky!" Vicky pouted, "You still don't remember anything?"

"Nope." Angel said as he politely pried her body off. "Look, Vicky, I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. I mean, you're beautiful and all but I'm not… I'm not myself right now."

"I can make you remember. I still have the teddy." Vicky said in her soft sweet voice.

"Ummm… well…" Angel felt his face burning bright red as he stepped back and then he saw his sister in the crowd. "Thank God. I have to go and meet my date!" Angel rushed off in the direction of his sister. He was getting too deep into William's love life. He could see the other girls looking at him hungrily. How much sex did Will have? "Leia!"

Leia turned around and waved. "Will!"

Angel plowed his way through the crowd and looked at his sister. "Thank God I found you. Those girls were vicious, especially Vicky." He laughed and then saw his blind date looking at the fish behind her.

"Oh, this is your date. Buffy, he's here." Leia said as she poked Buffy's shoulder.

"Buffy?" Angel repeated and the woman turned around. At that second, his heart froze in his chest. Standing in front of him was Buffy Summers, the girl who had stolen his heart and gave him a reason for living. "Uh… uh…"

Buffy looked at him and smiled. "What is it? You look like you saw a ghost."

"No. NO. You… you… look pretty." Angel nearly slapped himself in the face. How can he talk to the woman who he had broken up with? It was insane. Then, another thought occurred to him. If Buffy was his blind date, then how does she know Leia? "Can… can we talk somewhere where there's less people?"

The slayer nodded. "Sure. It's too loud and… fishy here."

"I… think there's a place over there." Angel said as he took Buffy's hand and led her to the other side of the building where there was a door-marked 'café'.

They went through to see a more quiet setting. "Ah… this is much better." Buffy said as she and Angel sat down in a booth. "I'm in the mood for a cappuccino. What about you?"

"Coffee… yeah, me too." Angel nodded as he drummed his fingers. Buffy was here and talking to him like he was a stranger. She didn't change much since the last time he saw her. Her hair was darker and she was dressed in more sensible clothes. She wouldn't kill him but he couldn't help but wonder why he would rather face a clan of vampires than face this one girl?

They ordered their drinks and stared at each other. Buffy gazed at her date's eyes and face. There was something oddly familiar about him. She knew that she had never met him and yet her heart pounded in anxiety. "So…"

"So…"

"Why did you want to date me?" Angel asked. It was a sensible question considering his circumstances.

"Oh… Leia told me all about you and I was interested in meeting you." Buffy answered as she shrugged.

"Oh. How did you know Leia?"

"We met over the Internet and became friends." Buffy replied quickly. "She's a nice girl and I was in the neighborhood so I thought I could help her with you."

"I see. Well, I don't know much about myself so tell me about you." Angel dared. He was curious about what Buffy really think of his vampire past and how far she went with the Immortal. Unfortunately, she wouldn't tell him much since she thinks that he was just a normal guy who doesn't know anything about vampires except from Anne Rice novels.

"I'm from California. I have a little sister named Dawn who's in school right now. I am a traveling counselor for certain girls who are in need of guidance, like Leia. I'm 26 years old and I came back from Europe only a few months ago." Buffy rattled off.

"Is there anything wrong with Leia?" Angel felt himself sank. It all made sense. Leia's evasiveness, her strange bumps and bruises, her unusual errands and her knowledge of Sunnydale, California added up to slayer.

"Oh no. No. She's a teenager and all teenagers go through… things but normal things." Buffy laughed. "She's just worried about you."

"I don't blame her. Josh, Mom, and Dad, think that I act way differently than I did before."

"I know exactly how that is. When I came back from the- from a bad illness, I wasn't myself for several months. I did things that weren't too bright at the time." Buffy confessed.

"Like what?" Angel whispered.

Buffy's eyes widened. "Spike." She gasped.

"Yup, that's me, Slayer." Angel turned around to see Spike standing there dressed in his usual black t-shirt with dark pants and black duster. His jaw dropped as Buffy got out of the booth and faced Spike. What was Spike doing in New Jersey? Did he somehow sense where he was? Or was it just some big coincidence? Either way, he didn't want to deal with Spike right now. "Miss me?"

To Be Continued…


	4. Three People From Vampire Past

Note: Angel will be referred to as 'Will' by people who didn't know who he was.

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Four

By Marie Nomad

Buffy could not believe her eyes. Standing there in front of her was Spike, alive (for a vampire) and well. She studied him and then slapped him. "Ow." The vampire pouted as he rubbed his cheek. "I take that as a no?"

Buffy looked at Angel and said, "Will, Spike and I have to talk. Alone. I'll be right back." She grabbed Spike by the ear and dragged him outside to the alley.

"Spike… Buffy…" Angel muttered as he rubbed his head.

"This is getting insane." Shanshu appeared in front of him in a bright whirlwind. "I saw what happened. This is not supposed to happen."

"I thought you're a goddess or a prophecy. Can't you control this?" Angel pleaded. "I… I don't know how Spike and Buffy just show up like that in this place?"

"My power is not that grand. I can manipulate events to a degree to make things happen but something is trying to counteract my power, your destiny." Shanshu muttered, "I don't see how Spike could have shown up unless… that little bitch."

"Huh? What is it? Is it an evil goddess?" Angel asked as he cringed at the idea of dealing with another super demon while he's human.

"Not really. I have to go and talk to her. You just go on what you are doing and avoid your old friends as much as possible. They're smart; they will notice you if you give them enough clues and once they find out, your one chance for a normal life will go bye-bye." Shanshu got up and focused outward. "Be careful, William." She vanished in a whirlwind.

Meanwhile, a pair of old lovers stood in the alley. "What's the deal, Buffy?" Spike asked innocently, "Afraid to bring up our past in front of your new boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend! He is a brother of a friend of mine who is a slayer. I was making sure he wasn't possessed by an evil entity or he was a pod person or anything like that. I know that he's normal, at least he doesn't know a thing about vampires except what goes on in the movies!" Buffy snapped, "And what took you so long in telling me that you're alive! Or at least dead but not ashes dead!"

"Oh… various things. The first few months, I was a ghost tied to Wolfram and Hart so I couldn't go outside of LA. After I became corporeal, I tried to get back but… I don't know. I just… wanted to see what I am without you." Spike confessed as he shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't let you know I was alive, Slayer. I… really missed you but I… okay, I was a coward. I didn't think you would let me back into your life after I saw you with the Immortal."

"Morty? I was with him for only a couple of months. He was training me." Buffy insisted. "I don't believe this. How did you find me?"

Spike grinned mysteriously. "Would you believe I'm now psychic?"

"Seriously? Never mind. Why didn't Angel tell me that you're alive? Was it part of his evil plans?"

"Evil? Don't tell me you didn't know?"

Buffy crossed her arms and shook her head. "About what?"

Spike paused. He could just lie and tell the slayer that Angel had gone pure evil and had been killed fighting what's left of the Angel team but he couldn't. "Damn soul. It was an act." Spike admitted.

"What?" Buffy's eyes widened.

"An act. The pounce pretended to dove into the dark side just so he could kill off some secret society that was the major link to the Senior Partners. He nearly fooled me and I knew him way before you were born." Spike confessed as he took her hand. "He… he disappeared after that. Me and Charlie thought he died but I… I got some information that Peaches could be alive in this town. That's why we're here."

Buffy nearly collapsed in disbelief. "Oh my god. I… I ignored him. No!" Spike held her in his arms as she put her head on his shoulder. Tears ran down her face as she clutched on. "How can I be such an idiot? I should've come. I should have meet him personally and really see what was going on."

"I don't blame you. Evil, not evil, evil again, the old man can't make up his bloody mind. We'll find him and stop crying. I don't figure you to be a weeper."

Buffy laughed hoarsely as she wiped away her tears. "I'm not. I haven't really cried in a long time. I'll help look for Angel, someone like him, can't be too hard to find, right?"

"Who knows." Spike shrugged and then winced as he held his head. "Damn it, not now."

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked concerned as she stepped back. "Do you have another chip installed?"

"Nothing like that. But, I gotta go." Spike looked at her for a moment. "We'll talk later, I promise. Here's my cell phone number." He handed the woman a card and walked off.

"Wait." Buffy reached into her pocket and got out a business card. "Here's my number and… thanks for saving the world twice."

"I would do it again." Spike accepted the card. "Good luck with the boyfriend." He ran off and jumped into a beat up truck.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Buffy yelled knowing the vampire heard her. She rubbed her head as she gazed into the dark sky. Angel was alive and he wasn't evil. What happened to him? Why didn't he try to find her? What if he had amnesia or that he was captured by some evil group?

"Are you okay?" Buffy felt a hand on her shoulder and she grabbed the arm and pinned the attacker to the ground. She looked down to see she was pinning down Angel. "Ooops. Sorry, Will." She got off and pulled him up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Angel said as he rubbed his shoulder. "I was… getting worried so I came out looking for you. You're strong."

Buffy turned bright red as she looked at her friend. She was so used to dealing with watchers and slayers that she nearly forgot what it was like to deal with a normal guy who doesn't know what a slayer was. "I work out. A lot." Buffy said as she flexed her arm.

"Oh." Angel nodded as he crossed his arms. "I'm glad you're all right. Who was this Spike? Is he your boyfriend?" He tensed as he prayed that it wasn't true.

"No! No, he's not. He was just a friend who helped me through some hard times." Buffy denied as she and Will walked through the door and sat down at the booth. "You shouldn't be jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Angel lied. "Okay… maybe a little but that's because the two of you have a history together while I don't have a history."

Buffy had to smile at the look William gave Spike. There was something oddly familiar about the way he was jealous about the vampire. "What Spike and I have was complicated. I mean mega soap opera with a twist of horror movie complicated. All of my relationships are like that. Most of the men I dated are way older than me."

At that remark, Angel had to ask, "How much older?"

"Oh… years. No biggie. They look really great for their age." Buffy smiled at him and then shook her head. "Let's not talk about my past. Tell me about you."

Angel looked at her confused. "What is there to talk about? I don't even remember anything before a month ago. All I know was what Leia told me, which wasn't that specific. Meeting people who know you but I don't know them back. It's insane."

"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Buffy asked as she hinted. "Maybe, a sound or a smell or anything like that."

"No!" Angel slammed his fist onto the table. "Why do you guys keep on bugging me about it! I don't know anything! I am so sick and tired of people thinking that I lost my mind every time they realize that I love Barry Manilow's music or when I am tidy or even when I am looking for a job!" Tears came down his face as he slumped in his seat. He hated acting like he didn't know anything even though he remembered many things in the past 250 years.

"I'm sorry." Buffy said as she put her hand onto Will's head. "I really do like you, Will. I have an instinct about what kind of people I can trust. You may have changed because of this but you're not bad. I had dealt with mysterious men who may or may not be evil before. You're definitely not evil."

"Thanks. I think." Angel fiddled with a napkin. "Maybe, we should talk more about you."

"I'm not that interesting. I did travel around in Europe for a year."

"Oh, how was it?" Angel asked genuinely interested as he leaned on the table.

"Oh, Europy. Seriously, it was so cool. I lived in Italy for six months and it was so… Italian. I had this great guide who knew all about Italy's past and have so many connections." Buffy rambled.

"What kind of connections?"

"That's… complicated." Buffy replied as she thought of the Immortal. She paused as she tried to think of what to talk about. She couldn't keep on talking about her ex-boyfriends since most of them are dead already and she couldn't talk about her Slayer lifestyle. "I don't know what to talk about."

"Well… we can talk about other things that are not related to our lives like movies, reality shows, or the weather." Angel suggested as he took her hand. Her hand was colder to his now human touch but it still felt so warm.

"Hey!" Josh exclaimed as he strolled in. "Will, Mrs. S called. She needs you to come over. She has a major surprise for you."

"Of course." Angel sighed as he looked up. "Okay, I'll go back. Sorry, Buffy, I have to go."

"Huh?" Buffy jerked her hand away. "Sure. Maybe, we can catch a movie some time. I'll call."

"That would be great." Angel watched Buffy walked off and he sighed. "Buffy…"

"Whoa… you got a thing for Buffy? Sweet." Josh said as he patted Angel on the shoulder. "Kinda small but tough. Sorry about interrupting things. I don't know what got into me."

"Fate." Angel got up. "Let's go home."

**XXX**

Buffy gazed out of the window as she drove up to the hotel where she and Giles were staying. Her 'date' with Will went strange. Not only did Spike, who she thought was dead, was alive and here in Sunnydale but Angel wasn't evil and maybe alive in Sunnydale.

Her head spun as she thought of Angel. She should've been worried sick about him but she didn't think much about where Angel was while he was with Will. Something about him, made her feel comfortable. She walked up to the room and saw Giles marking a whiteboard. Seeing him made her stomach turned. "Giles, Spike is alive."

Giles stopped and turned towards her. "What?"

"Spike, he's alive. He showed up while I was at my date with Will just out of nowhere." Buffy said as she held her head.

"Are you sure it's Spike?" Giles asked cautiously. "It could be a trick."

"No trick. I know it's Spike. He managed to end up in LA as a ghost of all things, then he became corporeal and working with Angel of all people, and after Wolfram and Hart went kaboom, Spike left and became a real champion and somehow Angel is still alive or undead and is in Sunnydale too." Buffy babbled.

Giles took a moment to interpret Buffy's explanation and then he slumped onto the couch. "The purpose of this trip was so we can relax and you didn't have to handle any vampire ex-boyfriends. This revelation could be part of the vast fluxes magic in this area. Why does it have to be those two?"

"So, me, Spike, and maybe Angel being in Sunnydale at the same time is not a coincidence."

"Nothing is ever a coincidence. You know that."

"More than anyone and just when I met a nice normal guy." Buffy sat down beside him. "I checked Will out. My Buffy instincts are telling me that he's not evil and that he was just confused."

"Your Buffy instincts, well, I'm happy that you finally meet someone who is…"

"Less than a hundred years old?"

"Normal." Giles said as he took a deep breath.

"That too. I don't know if this will be serious or not. Especially if Angel is alive out there somewhere and I have to set Spike straight." Buffy said as Giles got up and started to make some tea.

"There is the issue about William knowing about you being a slayer. The fact that his younger sister is a slayer would help that issue or it might hurt it." Giles said as he pondered.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "It was just one date. I don't even know if he's interested in seeing me again after meeting Spike." She paused. If those two find out about William, they would be jealous. Angel had kept his distance when she had boyfriends. He didn't hurt Riley that much when he came to Sunnydale after their fight. Spike is different. She didn't know what he will do to Will. "I better call him and make sure that he's okay and to tell Leia that Will passed the Buffy test."

**XXX**

Angel felt his hands tensed as he walked inside to see his family sitting around the living room. His heart pounded as Leia stared at him. "Is something wrong?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and said, "No. Jacob and I nearly got killed by this hooligan who was wearing this strange mask. Thankfully, this group of travelers came by and chased them off. They need a place to stay so we offered to let them stay at our bomb shelter."

Angel's jaw dropped. He could guess that his new parents were attacked by some kind of demon or at least some psycho. "We have a bomb shelter?"

"It was back in the sixties." Jacob replied.

"I just want you to meet them so you won't be startled." Elizabeth gestured and three people came in.

Angel and Leia gawked at the sight. Standing there was Spike, Gunn, and Fred. Well, it looked like Fred except for her blue eyes which he was sure wasn't Fred's real eye color. Three people from his vampire past were standing there looking at him like he was a stranger.

"Spike, Gunn, Fred, these two are my children, Will and Leia. Will, Leia, this is Spike, Gunn, and Fred."

"Will Smith. I love your movies." Gunn joked as he took Angel's hand and shook it.

"Ha ha. I only heard that for a thousand times." Angel said as he smiled at him. Gunn was okay. He had managed to live despite the wound given to him.

"So, you're here too." Spike said as he walked up to 'Will'. The two locked eyes for an intense second.

"You know each other?" Gunn asked.

"Met just a couple of hours ago. Will eh? My real name is Will too." Spike said as he and 'Will' circled each other. The vampire could tell that the human didn't like him. That suited him just fine since he always rubbed others the wrong way, except for the ladies.

"He's Buffy's ex-boyfriend." Angel answered as he kept on staring at Spike. "She said that you are a mistake."

"Maybe, I am or maybe I am the best thing that ever happened to her." Spike taunted.

Leia looked between the two. Her slayer instincts were going overdrive. Gunn seemed normal but Spike and Fred were a different matter. "So, where are you from?"

"Chicago." Gunn answered as he smiled at her. "We're looking for a friend of ours. He calls himself Angel. He's tall, dark, broody, hates the sun… listens to Barry Manilow?" He held up a rough sketch of Angel with very spiky hair.

"I don't think so but I haven't been out for too long." Angel said as he shook his head. He was telling the truth. He hasn't seen himself in a very long time. Even if he had, he would not look like that sketch. He knew that he didn't look like that and did one of them have to draw fangs in?

"We will keep an eye out for him." Leia promised as she looked at the drawing. There was something oddly familiar about the drawing. She couldn't tell what but she was still relatively new at being a slayer.

"Great. We have to go and get everything before sunrise… we like to sleep during the day." Spike explained calmly as he looked out of the window.

"A group of regular vampires eh?" Angel said in a joking voice.

"We are not vampires." Illyria said firmly and then looked at Spike.

"I'm joking." Angel comforted, "There are no such things as vampires." He paused and decided to take Will's 'ignorance' for granted. "Besides, none of you look like a vampire."

Spike nearly fell over. He admitted there wasn't any vampire like him in the world but he was just insulted by the thing that he doesn't look like a vampire when he really was. Still, he bit his tongue so to speak. "I see. Well, we better get going." He looked at Illyria who was staring at Angel intensely. "Blue?"

"You were blessed." Illyria said curiously. "I sense forces that had worked in your favor."

"Oh, I've been lucky. I just got out of a long coma and except for some memory loss, I'm fine." Angel waved off as he looked to the side. Illyria had sensed Shanshu's work. He should have known that the ex-god would have some idea on what was going on. She had a strange sixth sense that he never understood.

"She's into new age stuff." Spike excused as he took Illyria's shoulders and guided her out of the door. "Cut it out, Blue." He whispered, "Bye!"

"Later." Gunn walked off as well.

The three walked out of the door and Angel took a deep breath. "Those three… are interesting. I'm going to bed. yawn Long night."

"Me too." Leia added and the two walked out of the hallway. "Oh, how was the date? Did you and Buffy have a good time?"

"Yeah, she's great. She's so cute and talkative. And she can vouch that I'm not evil."

"I didn't say that." Leia denied, "She is a counselor, I thought she would see if you need help."

Angel studied his sister. Leia must have thought that her brother was possessed by an evil demon or was a pod person. He paused as he thought. On the other hand, what she suspected was true. Leia have every right to be afraid of him, she was trained to live with the abnormal and to not take things at face value. "Thanks." He reached up and hugged her. "Be careful, Leia." He whispered as he let go and went into his room.

All of a sudden, Leia's cell phone rang. She sighed as she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Leia, this is Buffy. I'm checking to see if Will came back okay."

"Oh yeah. He's fine. Say, do you know a bleach blond man with a thick English accent named Spike? He mentioned you."

"You met already? Well, he's a vampire but he's a good vampire with a soul."

Leia's jaw dropped. "That vampire! You mean the vampire that nearly sent this world to Hell after he slept with you!"

"No, that's Angel. Spike's the one who went poof after Sunnydale went boom and apparently came back." Buffy replied, "He has changed and he won't hurt you or Will."

"Oh, God. I hope so. I don't know what to do about Will. The last time he knew about my life he…" Leia's eyes watered up as she thought about the accident.

"It's okay. I was a newbie slayer myself. We'll just work on one thing at a time. Will is a good guy, my Buffy senses told me so. Just let him be Will and hopefully history won't repeat itself." Buffy reassured her.

Leia nodded. Buffy had been in the business longer than any other Slayer alive. She needed her to help deal with her crisis. "Okay. I'll try."

**XXX**

Shanshu glared as Cordelia sat watching everything. "I know what you did." The Prophesy warned as she sat beside the former Seer.

"Did what?" Cordelia asked innocently.

"Oh please, I wasn't born last year! I know that you manipulated the events to make them come here!" Shanshu accused.

"So? That's what we Powers that Be do. We manipulate events. You did your fair share of manipulation." Cordelia snapped.

"I had eons of experience. You were born only a couple of decades ago. Be assured, that I will not let you interfere with destiny." Shanshu got up and her body glowed with power. She was a weak power compared to the other gods but no one messes with her. Her power made it possible for gods to be reborn and they need her all the time. Shanshu couldn't believe that this upstart had any right to interfere with her duty.

Cordelia's eyes glowed as she stood up as well. "You may have a few thousand years more experience than me but I was raised in the Hellmouth! I know what I'm doing!"

Sparks shot between them as they stared intensely at each other. "I will stop this insanity and get Angel on the right path." Shanshu vowed and vanished in a bright whirlwind.

"So will I." Cordelia vowed as well and vanished in a bright light.

To Be Continued…


	5. The Search For Angel Begins

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Five

By Marie Nomad

Note: At times, Angel will be referred to as 'Will' by the others who don't know his identity.

_Lightning crashed as Buffy ran through the forest. Rain fell as she looked around frantically. "Angel!" She cried out as she ran again. _

_A flash of lighting lit up the dark forest to reveal Angel standing next to a picturesque house with a white picket fence. Warm sunlight filled the place as she walked through. "Oh my god." She whispered as she felt herself get dried._

"_Buffy?" Angel asked as he stepped forward. _

"_Angel. You're here." Buffy felt relieved as she dashed to him and held him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."_

"_It's okay." He whispered as he held her close. "I know." He winced as smoke started to come out of his body._

"_Angel?" Buffy watched in horror as he shoved her away and burst into flames. _

"ANGEL!" She screamed as she sat up in her bed. Sweat came down her face as she looked around to see she was in her hotel room. "It was just a dream."

"Buffy!" Giles ran in. "You were screaming."

Buffy wiped her face and she shook her head. "I found Angel. He was in this peaceful place in the middle of the woods with a white picket fence but when I got close to him. He burst into flames. Woosh."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah. It feels like one of those prophetic dreams."

Giles took a deep breath. "This is deeply troublesome. Your dream could serve as a warning to keep us away from finding Angel."

"Of course. Some evil goddess wants to keep Angel all to herself." Buffy realized, "I've battled goddesses before. The one can't be any different. Well, except for the fact that I will live after defeating this evil goddess."

"I'm sure she's not evil like Glory."

"Well, I better go, get Spike and his friends. Then, I have to get together with Leia and Will… ummm… Giles, could you not tell Will about the slaying thing? He doesn't know anything yet and I want to keep it that way."

"He will learn sooner or later." Giles warned, "His sister is a slayer and he had found out once."

Buffy frowned. Will had a right to know but not from her. The slayer thing was Leia's problem. Ever since the potentials have been called, it was agreed that it was up to the Slayer to tell their families. "Sure." She went to the phone and dialed Spike's number.

After several rings, Spike's tired voice came from the other end. "Hello?"

"Spike."

"Buffy, how was your date? Did you and William have fun?"

Buffy had to smile at the jealous tone. "Yes. It's just an investigative blind date. Look, I had a weird dream about Angel and… I want to help you guys find him. I talked to Leia last night. She knows that you're a vampire. Don't worry, I told her that you're a good vampire with a soul."

"That's good to know. I can't have my landlord try to stake me. Illyria and Charlie wouldn't like it."

"Who's Illyria? Never mind, you can introduce me to her when I get there. I'll get Leia, Ryoma, and Giles and we'll meet in the bomb shelter to talk about what's going on." Buffy said firmly. She wanted to get everything out of the way. She wanted to see Spike again, find out what happened to Angel, and get this chaos settled.

"All right you, Leia, Ryoma, and- RUPERT! That pounce! Forget it! Leave that hypocrite wanker to sipping his tea!" At that, Spike slammed the phone down making Buffy winced.

"Okay… that went well." Buffy muttered as she hung up. She looked at Giles and said, "Giles, I told Spike that you're coming and he just flew off the wall."

"I don't know why. I don't remember doing anything to Spike except when I helped Robin hold Spike captive and he seemed to have forgiven me for that." Giles said as he wiped his glasses. He put his glasses back on.

"He called you a hypocritic wanker."

"Hmmm… well, I will find out."

Buffy nodded and then bit her lip. Something about this didn't make sense. Spike wasn't the type to hate Giles for no reason. On the other hand, everything has not been perfect between them. She will find out when they get there.

**XXX**

Leia took a deep breath as she did another series of kicks and jumps. It was the weekend and she had some spare time to train. She paused and then saw her brother sitting against the tree gazing out. "Will." She whispered as she came up to see a sketch of Buffy. "You like her don't you?"

William looked up at her. "She has a lovely face and such spunk." The man mused as he smiled.

"Well, she has some weird relationships. In fact, she's going to be looking for her ex-boyfriend." Leia said. She knew all about the wacky relationships that the Elder Slayer endured. It was the running joke among the slayerettes. You cannot be a real slayer until you had dated at least one vampire.

Angel nodded. "I know. I just want to try this out first." He was nervous. Shanshu warned him not to get to close to his old friends. Yet, he missed them. He missed Buffy, Gunn, and even Spike and Illyria. Just seeing them again, really hurt him.

"No trying out." Shanshu warned as she appeared beside him. Angel glanced at her and then at Leia who was just looking at the picture. "Don't worry. Only people who know about the Shanshu prophesy or the fact that I exist can see me. Don't talk. Just don't try to go to Buffy. She's dangerous. She is a moth that's attracted to danger even if she doesn't know it. Just leave her alone. I have to go." At that, Shanshu vanished.

"Will?" Leia asked, "Are you okay, you just dazed off for a sec?"

"I was. Nothing. It was nothing." Angel smiled hesitantly. "I guess I just stared off into nothing."

"I see." She looked at her watch. "Aw man, I have to go and meet Buffy and the others. You go ahead and draw. I'll tell her you say 'hi'." Leia ran off to her car.

Angel looked down at his sketchbook and then at Leia. The logical part of him say to go ahead and stay behind. The irrational part that is responsible for many of his mistakes for most of his life told him to go ahead and see Buffy. "Well, I'll only live twice." Angel muttered to himself as he ran to Leia and said, "I'll join you."

"NO!" Leia stopped and shoved him down with her slayer strength. "You can't. It's a… private meeting. Girl stuff. Really personal girl stuff. Icky stuff."

Angel cocked an eyebrow. "Really. I may not remember anything before a couple of years ago but I am an adult."

"Don't follow me!" Leia pleaded as her frame trembled.

The ex-vampire stepped back. Leia was afraid but not of him but for him. Was Leia this scared to show her secret to her own brother? Something bothered her but he had to let her deal with it. "Okay. Just remember that you are my sister and I love you no matter what."

Leia's jaw dropped and she smiled hesitantly. "It's not like that. I have to go." She ran off.

**XXX**

Buffy and Giles hesitantly walked into the yard where the bomb shelter was. It was built during the paranoid period of the sixties. The house was a nice looking one with a white picket fence and everything.

"Buffy! Giles!" Leia yelled as she got out of her car and came up to the two. "Mr. Yamamoto couldn't make it but I'm going to record everything and I got him on speed dial."

"Ah, modern technology, how wonderful." Giles mused.

"Let's hurry. Will wanted to join us." Leia paused, "I think he wants you, Buffy. I caught him drawing a picture of you."

"Really?" Buffy had to blush. "Wow… is he good. No. Wait. Okay, push those thoughts away. First find Angel, figure out what higher powers are at work, and then deal with cute normal guy."

"Cute normal guy who is my brother." Leia defended. "I don't want him in my Slayer lifestyle again."

"I know but if you want to stay close to him, you have to tell him sooner or later." Buffy advised, "But, that can wait. Right now, we have an angel to find." She came up to the entrance, opened the hatch, and climbed down. They walked down the concrete enforced tunnel to see a door. She knocked.

"Come in." Spike said from the other side.

Buffy opened the door to see a normal looking bunker with a TV, sofa, bed, a refrigerator, and a game system with a TV attached. "Not bad." She complimented.

"Well, when the Y2K thing happened, Mom and Dad thought we should redecorate the shelter just in case we need it." Leia explained as she looked around. "Me and Will put in our own stuff after a while just in case something happens like an apocalypse."

"I have to say, this Will has taste." Spike said as he came in with a CD in his hand. "Sex Pistols, Marilyn Manson… Vanilla Ice?"

"That's mine." Leia swipe the CD away. "Anyway, you can have those. Will doesn't like heavy metal any more. He's more into Barry Manilow."

Spike blinked. "Barry Manilow? Now, I have another reason to hate him." He said as he pocketed the CDs.

Buffy looked to see a tall bald black man with a goatee with a blue demonic woman playing video games. "And who are you guys?"

Gunn slammed down his controller. "I'm dead again. Oh, hi, I'm Charles Gunn but you can call me Gunn and this is Illyria but she goes by Fred outside." Gunn said as he grinned at Buffy. "And you must be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I heard a lot about you."

"I'm sure you have." Buffy said as the two shake hands. She glanced at Illyria who was pounding away at the game. "You two play video games all the time?"

"Only when there aren't court documents to process or demons to kill." Gunn replied as he shrugged. "I don't mind them so much but Illyria and Spike are hooked on them."

"If you're stuck inside during the day, you would understand." Spike said as he looked at his friend.

Giles came through the door and looked around. "Impressive place for a bomb shelter." He saw Spike and said, "Well, you are alive after all." At that moment, Gunn and Spike played paper rock scissors and Gunn saw he won.

Gunn came up and slammed his fist into Giles' face. Leia and Buffy jumped up and pinned the dark man down. "Let me go!"

"Let me have a go." Spike said as he knocked Giles down onto the ground.

Buffy got up and slammed Spike into the wall. "What's the big idea!" She demanded as she swiftly got out a giant cross and held it at Spike's throat.

"Ask him. You hypocrite! You traitor! You pounce!" Spike yelled at the top of his lungs as Buffy struggled to keep him at bay.

"Spike! Down Spike!" Buffy was confused. Spike wasn't just mad, he was furious. She had never seen him so upset. "What did Giles do to you?"

Spike looked at the cross and relaxed. "Why don't you ask the hypocrite? All those witches and mystics at hand and you couldn't spare a hand to save a dear friend? Oh, or what about those slayers who were supposed to save the world? Where were they when we needed them? The Poof- Angel had given up everything for this sodding world and no one bothers to help us! I may have been an evil vampire but I was loyal vampire!"

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked. "Spike, what are you talking about?"

"Ask that mother fucking hypocrite!" Gunn yelled at the top of his lungs from where Leia was holding him down.

"Calm down!" Buffy ordered, "Both of you!"

"Yes, I didn't understand why you two are so upset." Giles said as he took off his glasses and see that they were not broken.

Spike focused inward and said, "Oh really. Remember a certain phone call from a desperate CEO of an evil law firm? He needed help in dealing with a certain evil parasitic goddess who had stolen a friend's body and destroyed everything she was. No offense, Blue."

Illyria paused her game. "None taken." She admitted.

"He didn't say anything about that." Giles said as he shifted.

"You hung up on him!" Gunn strained again. "You bastard! I have half a mind to sue your pants off! We needed help and you won't give it to us! We're not evil! Why don't you help us? Unless you think that you wouldn't benefit from this."

"What?" Buffy looked up at her old watcher. "Giles, what are they talking about?" She found herself getting angry. She had known Giles for too long to know that while he was a good man, he tends to get a little underhanded when he had to.

"Well, a couple of times, Angel called asking for my help and… I refused." Giles confessed, "I swear, I thought it was a trap. We were barely ready for anything so we had to keep away from anything…"

"From anything evil like Wolfram and Hart." Gunn finished, "You know for someone that seems to ask a lot for Angel, you don't do a lot for him. When I get my hands on you, I will sue you for everything you owned and your first born son!"

Giles blinked. "But, I don't even have a first born son."

"Giles! Go!" Buffy yelled as she kept Spike to the ground. "We'll talk about this later!"

"You better run and hide English because when I find you, you better pray you have a good lawyer!" Gunn threatened.

Giles nodded and ran out of the room. Despite the fact that there are two slayers in the room, he didn't feel safe. "You can get off of me. I can't follow him in daylight." Spike said as he looked up at Buffy. "Unless you like holding me down like this."

Buffy jumped off and pulled him up. "What was that about? I thought you changed."

"No one helped us." Spike said as he walked over to Illyria. "Fred, she was a sweet girl, one of the sweetest, smartest girls I had ever known. That bastard Knox infected Fred with Illyria and destroyed her from the inside out. Angel tried to get Willow to help but Rupert refused to even listen to him."

"Oh…" Buffy was speechless. How could Giles do that to Angel? She couldn't understand what happened between them. She could remember a time when the Scoobies and the Angel Investigation team were close. They would make phone calls all the time back and forth. How did they just drift apart like that? "I… I'm sorry. But, if Illyria's evil, why is she still here?" She pointed to the demon goddess.

"She's not evil." Gunn said still pinned down. "We don't hate her for what she did to Fred since well, it wasn't her fault. She helped us in the big fight and after that, she was kinda lost. So, she tagged along with us and she just kinda blended right in."

"They have not tried to kill me." Illyria said, "They had shown me many things of this world like soap operas and onion blossoms. I am only 'tagging' along because I wish for more guidance."

"She's lonely." Gunn translated and then realize Leia was still on him. "Can you get up? My arms are getting numb."

"Oh." Leia got up. "Sorry about that."

Buffy sensed that the two hot heads had calmed down although, she couldn't leave Giles alone with Spike and Gunn alone again. "Spike, I'm really sorry. I swear, if I had known, I would've flew down to LA myself and try to fix this."

"That's nice of you but it's too late." Spike said as he gazed up. "Fred was a very sweet girl. She was like Dru, she had a childlike innocence around her well, except that she doesn't kill people."

Buffy's jaw dropped. Spike really loved this 'Fred'. "Look, maybe we can get Willow to come and see if she can help Fred get back to normal."

"I do not wish to die." Illyria interrupted.

"Besides, Fred's soul was destroyed. You can't bring her back." Gunn said sorrowfully.

"Hey, Willow is a superwitch. If she could bring out all of the Slayers in the world and accidentally get me and Spike engaged, she can restore a soul." Buffy comforted and then saw Illyria getting tense. "Without killing Illyria." She added.

Illyria nodded.

"Thanks." Spike said as he took her hand. "You really… you're really something, Slayer. Let's just hope that your new boyfriend won't die on you."

"He's not my boyfriend." Buffy denied, "Anyway, let's try to find Angel. First of all, how did you know that Angel is here?"

"Well…" Spike looked to the side. "You see, I have a power thrown onto me by the Powers that Be. I felt it when Peaches died. I get these visions into my brain of people who need help in the present or the near future. I got this vision of Angel but I was looking through his eyes and I knew which town he is in now."

"Visions? You really are psychic." Buffy was amazed at how Spike seemed to have changed from the last time she saw him. "Do they hurt?"

"Like hell but compared to when I had the chip, it was a walk in the graveyard." Spike replied.

"Okay, so, Angel is here in Sunnydale, New Jersey, any idea on where he could be?" Buffy asked.

"No clue. I saw only the classified ads through his mind. I kinda… just sensed him. But, I know it's him."

"We just got into town but we've been scouting around for info." Gunn said as he unrolled a map. It had a bunch of marks on it. "We marked out where Angel could be, abandoned buildings, homeless shelters, cemeteries…"

"And that's if he's still a vampire." Spike commented.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked as she tried to get into the conversation. "Vampires are vampires until they become dust. Vampires don't just come back to life."

"This one might be if it's shanshu." Spike said as he smirked.

"Shanwho?" Buffy repeated.

"Shanshu, it's a prophesy. Basically, a vampire with a soul gets to be alive for saving the bloomin world. I mean, the vampire, if it's Angel, get to be human."

Buffy's jaw dropped. Her heart pounded. She had dreams of Angel in the sunlight, eating ice cream, having sex, and enjoying the beach. "Human. Angel could be human?"

"Basically, yeah. I thought I could be shanshued after the big fight but I get brain splitting visions instead." Spike said as he rubbed his temples. "We don't really know. He could be in the hospital or an artist or he could be-"

"Will." Buffy said as she came up to see William standing there.

"What are you doing here?" Leia demanded. "I told you to stay away!"

"I know but I was in the neighborhood and thought I should stop by." Angel said as he looked at Buffy. "Buffy."

"Will. You shouldn't be here. We're talking about important things." Buffy said as she looked over her shoulder to see Illyria looking human. "Really important things."

"And I can't help? I want to see if I could try." Angel said as he looked at the map.

"NO!" Leia grabbed her brother and shoved him out of the door. "Forget it! We don't need your help!"

"Ow! Okay, I'm going. What should I do about the English guy outside?"

"Nothing! He's just an old friend of Mr. Yamamoto."

"Wait, can we talk a little later?" Buffy asked as she walked up to Will. "You know… lunch."

"Lunch sounds great." Will smiled back and then Leia pushed the rest of the way. "Come over at 1:00!" He yelled as Leia closed the door.

"You know, that's pretty rude to treat your big brother like that." Gunn commented as he came up to the younger slayer.

"I have no choice. What am I supposed to say, 'We're just talking about finding a guy who may or may not be dead who may or may not be vampire who can't have sex!'" Leia snapped.

"Angel can have sex, just can't be happy about it. Saw it myself." Spike commented. Buffy and the others stared at him. "He was having mystically induced sex with this chick."

"Oh. That makes so much sense." Buffy pondered, "Anyway, we can search in shifts. Gunn, Leia, and I will try to search for Angel in the day. Spike and Illyria look at night. Giles and Ryoma could do some watcher magic to see if they could find out anything about the goddesses."

Leia raised her hand. "What about Will? I can't let him into this."

"We'll just tell him that we're looking for an old friend. We won't tell him that Angel is over two hundred years old, can't handle direct sunlight, and prefers to drink blood. Besides, if this Shansue prophesy thingie works out, Angel would just be a nice normal guy." Buffy figured.

"So, we have to find a guy who may or may not be dead who may or may not be evil who we don't have a picture of and we don't know even know whether he's human or not." Leia said as she rubbed her head. "Are all slayer cases this hard?"

"Generally this confusing." Buffy replied, "Why don't we get started on finding Angel and I don't want anyone here beating up on Giles. I'll talk to him about the whole Illyria thing. No fighting. This is about Angel."

"I will make them not attack each other." Illyria promised.

"Good. Get out the map; we have an angel to find." Buffy said as she reached up to turn off the video game.

The TV screen became filled static and a strange feminine voice came out of the screen. "If… you find Angel… he will suffer a horrible fate."

The group stared at the TV and then Buffy said, "Of course. Someone has to make it complicated."

To Be Continued…


	6. The Great Angel Search Part II

Prophesy After the Fact

Part 6

By Marie Nomad

Angel waited anxiously as he looked out of the window to see Buffy talking to Giles. It was times like these that he wished that he still have his vampire hearing. Buffy slapped Giles across the face and there was yelling. Giles stepped back and held his head. After a few moments, Buffy hugged Giles and then she walked inside while Giles went to his car.

"Is everything okay?" Angel asked concerned as Buffy came back.

"Just clearing the air." Buffy said as she sat down. "Say… Will… we have to keep this on the low for a while. I need to find this… friend of mine. He was a very dear friend of mine that I abandoned when he needed me the most."

"Does this 'friend' have a name?"

Buffy gazed into Will's dark eyes. "Angel. Actually, he was my ex-boyfriend, way back in high school. We were great together until we slept together and… everything just went into Hell."

"Ouch." Angel winced as he vaguely remembered that time. He paused as he tried to remember when he was Angelus but the memories felt more like some horror movie rather than his life.

"Yeah. We made up, kinda and we split up again and things just got complicated and weird and I can't really tell you much." Buffy laughed as she ran her hand through her hair. "Look at me; I'm talking to a nice guy about finding my ex-boyfriend because my other ex-boyfriend told me that he's alive. This is not how dates are supposed to go."

"I don't mind. You have a fascinating life. I wish my life is that… interesting." Angel smiled at Buffy.

"You have amnesia and that's interesting. Look, I'm really hungry so we can we go? My treat."

"Well, I do know this nice place that I've been dying to try out." Angel said as he got his coat. "How do you feel about Chinese food?"

"As long as it's not Italian, I'm cool."

**XXX**

Angel's mouth drooled as he piled on the eggrolls, the fried rice, and other stuff that he couldn't pronounce. He sat back down at the table and started stuffing his face. Buffy's eyes widened as she watched him eat.

"Easy. This is an all you can eat buffet, emphasis on all you can eat." Buffy said as she picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating at a slightly slower pace.

"Sorry." Angel swallowed. "I… love eating. I want to try out all types of food. Don't tell Josh that I'm eating meat. I'm supposed to be a vegetarian. I don't eat meat that often but I want to at least try it since I don't remember what meat tastes like." He explained.

"That's okay." Buffy looked around, hoping to see her tall broody ex-boyfriend somewhere in the crowd. She missed him and she didn't even know if he shanshued or not.

"You miss him. Don't you?" Angel asked as he paused in his eating again.

"It's that obvious? Yeah." Buffy said sheepishly. "There's nothing to be jealous about. Angel and I had split up years ago. We're two completely different people. I'm just worried because… there are bad people out there who want Angel dead or converted into being evil and I don't want that."

"I see." Angel's heart hurt as he looked down. He should tell her the truth about him but he didn't know what to tell her. All of a sudden, Shanshu's words came clear to him. He couldn't tell her. He didn't want to betray the goddess who had helped him. "Can we talk about something else besides ex-boyfriends? I'm feeling insecure."

"Sure."

"Why are you in Sunnydale besides my sister?"

Buffy's smile faltered.

Angel realized the meaning. "Oh. Well, can we talk about Leia, she… she seems a little secretive. What is she hiding?" He knew that Leia was hiding the fact that she was a slayer but there was something else. Something that just made the girl scared to admit.

"What makes you think she's hiding something?" Buffy grew nervous. She couldn't tell Will the truth. The slayer thing is Leia's responsibility.

"You saw the way she shoved me out of that bomb shelter. She must be hiding something." Angel paused dramatically as Buffy fidgeted. He leaned over and whispered, "Is she into drugs?"

Buffy's eyes bulged. "No!"

"Orgies because I had watched Law & Order?"

"No! We hunt vampires." Buffy clammed up. She had never felt so blond in her life. She had just admitted to a man who shouldn't know more than he should that she is a vampire hunter. "Role playing. Yeah! We role play vampire slayers."

Angel blinked and asked, "What's role playing?"

"Oh, it's a live action game. We pretend to be vampires and slayers and we go out at night, have some laughs, come back and have pizza." Buffy explained trying to make her job as easy as possible. At that moment, she didn't want him to know anything. All she wanted for him to see is a nice normal woman who is friends with his younger sister. If he knows, he might hate her or worse get involved in her slaying activities and get hurt again.

Angel saw the look in her eyes. She didn't want to tell him. Either she wanted to keep him away or keep him safe or both. He won't shatter the illusion of ignorance. "Role playing sounds great. I was worried that Leia was into something dangerous. Thanks." He smiled at her and then started eating again.

Buffy sighed in relief. She found her plate was empty and her stomach was full. "Fortune cookies." She said as she picked up a fortune cookie.

"Maybe, this will help." Angel picked up the other fortune cookie and at once the cookies were opened.

Buffy stared at the fortune cookie and read, "Find your angel and you will have peace?" She was confused. Only a couple of hours ago, there was a mysterious message that warned her to stay away from Angel and now she got a sign to keep going. She had read fortune cookie messages and this was more like a sign from a higher power rather than something some idiot wrote.

"Hurry up you idiot." Angel read his cookie. "What kind of fortune cookies are these?"

"Maybe they're custom made fortune cookies." Buffy put the message in her pocket. "I have to go and do stuff."

"Can I drive you to where you're staying?" Angel offered.

"Oh no. I'm fine. I'm good. You go on ahead." Buffy said as she paid for their meals and then led Angel out of the door.

"Sure." The two walked outside and stared at each other. "Well… this is it." Angel said as he looked down at her.

"Yeah."

Angel tilted his head down and Buffy closed her eyes. A spark shot between them and the slayer and ex-vampire yelped in pain.

"Yeow!" Buffy put her hand to her lips. "Was that static?"

"I didn't mean for that to happen." Angel said as he rubbed his lips. "We have the worse luck when it comes to dates."

"I better go anyway." Buffy hugged Will. "I'll talk to you later."

She walked off and Angel watched her leave. "That was close." Shanshu said as she appeared next to him. "What were you thinking!"

Angel walked to his truck and got out his cell phone and said, "I just wanted to kiss her."

"No kissing. Kissing is not a good idea. When two people kiss, it's a start of a relationship. If you two kiss, then everything we had been through will be all for nothing!" Shanshu yelled as she sat beside him.

"It was just a kiss."

Shanshu took his hand and held it. "I just want what's best for you. After all that you've done, you deserve it."

"I'll be careful." Angel sighed, "You sound just like Mom." He paused. "Say, Shanshu, I don't remember as much about Angel's vampire past as I used to."

"Part of the spell. You are now thinking apart from your old self. It's part of the process." Shanshu answered, "Please, you must not fight this so much. I'm doing everything in my power to keep the bitch from blabbing everything to your old friends. Just enjoy your new life, William. That's all I ask." Shanshu leaned over, kissed him on the cheek and vanished.

"She's right." Angel admitted. He loved Buffy but he couldn't be with her without telling the truth and he couldn't be with her if he tells her the truth. "Maybe, I should find out what's bothering Leia." He looked around and then closed his cell phone. "When did I start talking to myself?"

**XXX**

Angel tapped on the computer. He asked his parents why Leia was acting strange but all he got was that it was a phase. However, Leia seemed to act much stranger since the accident that changed Will's life forever.

He sat in the archive section of the library. "I know it's here somewhere." Angel muttered to himself as he flipped through the microfilm. In a small town like Sunnydale, an accident that got him in the hospital for over a year on life support must make front page news.

Finally, he found the page. "One car accident. Local resident, William Luke Smith, had been in a car accident when he hit a pole while driving down Meadowpark Lane. What was Will doing driving around drunk?" He wondered as he pulled up the pictures. The truck was totaled and it was a miracle that he was alive. "Leia Katherine Smith was at the scene and had saved her brother's life. Sadly enough, William remains in critical condition. It is unknown whether or not he will wake up." He sighed. There was not much about the accident that was helpful. He did know one thing, the accident happened near Leia. He smiled. Leia must have been a new slayer at the time and felt guilty for not being there for him.

"Yo, Will."

Angel looked up to see Gunn. "Oh, you're… Gunn right."

"That's right, I'm looking for Angel." He held up a slightly better looking picture but it still had the lumpy forehead and fangs.

"Ummm…" Angel got out his pad. "Why don't I draw your friend better? No one can take that seriously."

Gunn looked at his crude drawing. "Oh yeah. Well, none of us were Rembrandts. This was the best we could think of."

"Allow me." Angel looked at the picture and started drawing out a better picture of his old self.

"So… you have amnesia." Gunn said after a few minutes.

"Yeah. I don't remember a thing before I woke up in the hospital a couple of months ago." Angel admitted as he erased a line. "So, what's this Angel like? Is he nice?"

"He's okay. He's real mysterious since he had a…" He stopped and added, "a really complicated past. Like Passions with horror movie slashed right in. He's a loner but if you get to know him for a couple of years, he kinda grows on you."

"That's good to know." Angel stopped his drawing and held it up. "How's this?"

Gunn's eyes widened as he looked between his drawing and Will's. "Damn, that's good." He accepted the picture, "You do this professionally?"

"Nah." Angel blushed as he grinned. "I just got started. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"You got it." Gunn grinned as he walked off. Angel sighed in relief. Gunn may have all of the knowledge of the laws both human and demon but he still didn't know anything about drawing techniques.

"Well, I got more stuff to do." Angel said to himself as he printed out the article and walked off.

**XXX**

"He could be an active volunteer." Buffy said as she held up one of the bad drawings of Angel to a lady.

"Hmmm…" Mrs. Potts said as she studied the picture. "I don't know anyone with fangs."

"Ignore the fangs. We were wondering if you seen any homeless guys with amnesia that look like this."

"Hmmm… let me see? Will!" Mrs. Potts cried out. Angel showed up with blankets in his arms. "Have you seen this man?"

"Will!" Buffy exclaimed as she looked at the man.

"Buffy, I was just volunteering." Will stepped back. "You look great."

"So do you." Buffy's heart raced in her chest. "I thought Angel would be here."

"Understandable. I drew out something that doesn't have fangs and gave it to Gunn." Will explained. "You should get a copy from him and I haven't seen anyone like that."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled at him. "I better go. I'll call you later."

"Bye." Will watched Buffy leave.

Buffy got back into her car and started it up. All of a sudden, the radio turned into static and the strange voice said, "Leave Sunnydale. Chaos follows you everywhere."

"Shut up." Buffy turned off the radio. "I'm not interested in talking to ghosts."

"Who says I'm a ghost?" The radio asked and then turned itself off.

**XXX**

"So, you haven't seen anyone like this asking for a job but doesn't have any ID?" Spike asked as he stood at a Doublemeat restaurant.

"I don't think so." The cashier said.

"Hi, Didi." Will said as he came up and saw Spike. "Oh, Spike."

"Will. Wish to join the great Angel search eh?" Spike asked.

"No, I was just dropping this off."

Angel handed Didi the application. "Sorry it took me so long to fill this out. I had to get the information."

"Working as a burger boy, eh?" Spike commented as he looked over his shoulder. "You know, Buffy worked as at this restaurant, well not in this exact one but you know what I mean."

"It's a job." Angel shrugged as he thought bewildered. "Buffy worked at fast food place?"

"Yup. Smelled like meat for weeks on end." Spike recollected, "She might not notice though, she stopped noticing after a while."

"I see." Angel walked off.

**XXX**

"We're getting nowhere." Buffy moaned as she sat in the bomb shelter that was now looking more like something out of 'Without a Trace'. It had a whiteboard, maps, and even a drawing of Angel pinned up on the wall. It had been several hours since the great Angel search began and they found nothing.

"None of the local good demons had even heard of Angel." Ryoma said as he sipped his tea. "Do not worry, all paths intersect in at least one place."

"I'd rather have my path intersect here." Buffy said firmly.

Giles, who was sitting to the side after being reassured that Gunn and Spike won't kill him, spoke up. "Perhaps, if we learn more about this Shanshu Prophesy, we may have a better idea on what condition Angel was in. We received the Scrolls of Aberjian which revealed another prophesy that seems connected to the Shanshu one. We called it the Ranku Prophesy."

Spike looked at Buffy and said, "Buffy, ask Rupert how he thinks that this Ranku Prophesy is connected to the Shanshu Prophesy?"

Buffy glanced at Giles. "Giles?"

Giles took a deep breath. Spike had somehow avoided talking to him directly. "This Ranku Prophesy hasn't been fully translated but there were words 'Souled Vampire' in there. It depicts some form of quest."

Silence filled the air. Gunn nearly hit himself over the head. Why didn't he think that there could be another prophesy dealing with the Shanshu prophesy? Of course, he didn't know since he was a street thug turned lawyer. He didn't have much business with ancient prophesies written in dead languages. "So, this 'Souled Vampire' could be the same guy that was in the Shanshu Prophesy." Gunn figured.

"Now wait a second, Charlie. The last time some watcher translated bits of the Shanshu Prophesy, me and the poof went into a fight to the death match over a cup of mountain dew!" Spike remembered and then saw Buffy and Leia staring at him. "Long story."

"We have software that could help us translate faster." Ryoma offered, "We will find the truth behind this."

All of a sudden, Spike screamed in pain as he held his head. "Gah! Charlie, vision!" His face became pale as he fell to the ground. In his mind, he saw Will lying face down in his own blood with a demon standing over him. "Buggers."

To Be Continued…


	7. A Pause in the Search

I know. I know. It has been a while since I updated. I'm working on it. Just so many new ideas in my head. Anyway, any suggestions is helpful and enjoy reading.

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Seven

By Marie Nomad

"Will!" Buffy yelled as she, and everyone else ran out of the bomb shelter. Will's car was gone. "Where's the attack?" Buffy demanded as she grabbed Spike by the shirt.

"I don't know. They don't give me an address this time. Could take place in the future." Spike said as he pulled himself away. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to your boyfriend."

"He's not my- forget it, just run around and sniff for Will. That vision thingy must be sent for a reason. Do you remember the surroundings?"

"It was dark, the demon looks like Doomsday, that monster that killed Superman. Not a lot to go on." Spike said as he rubbed his head.

"Damn it! What's William doing out in the middle of the night?" Leia asked, "Oh my god, he's worried about me. He went off to find me and then that demon..." She started to panic wildly.

"Leia!" Buffy grabbed her and shook her. "Calm down! Right now, your brother needs you calm and focused! We're slayers; this is part of the job!" Leia nodded and relaxed. "Good. We'll go off and split up. Giles and Leia, you two check out the park. Gunn and Illyria, try to see if you can find Will's truck. Spike, you come with me and we'll look around here."

The group nodded and ran off. Gunn and Illyria jumped into Gunn's truck as Buffy and Spike looked around.

"I don't know if I can do this any more." Buffy sighed as she and Spike scanned the area for any signs of demons.

"Do what?"

"Sacrificing my life for the slayer lifestyle. It's been years since I met a guy that I'm interested in that has a pulse and has a relatively normal past. Now, he will die."

"Not if we have anything to do with it. I won't let anything happen to your boyfriend. I won't let you get depressed again." Spike vowed.

Buffy smiled slightly. There has always been a weird relationship between them. It wasn't romantic despite all the sex, it felt more like the relationship between Xander and Willow. "He's not my boyfriend."

Spike just smirked knowingly. He paused. "I smell Will's scent. This way." He pointed to an abandoned shed.

The slayer and vampire rushed at semi-supernatural speeds to the shed and Buffy yanked off the door. "Will!" She screamed as she saw the man huddled on the floor holding bloody rags. "You need to go to-" She stopped when she saw that Will was fine with a small puppy wrapped up in rags. "vet. Awww… what happened to him?"

"I found this guy and I thought I should I save him." Will replied as he smiled in a goofy way. "I was going to the vet as soon as the puppy's condition stabilized."

"Let us come with you." Buffy insisted as she glared at Spike. Spike shrugged in confusion. "Did anything else weird happen to you?"

"You mean, besides you two?" Will tilted his head to the broken off door. "What happened to the shed door?"

"Oh…" Buffy blushed as she saw the door's remains. "Those doors are so weak. They could barely hold my weight." She laughed as she tapped on the wall and it fell apart. "See?"

"Ah. Well, as soon as Josh comes back with my truck, we're getting this little fellow to this emergency vet that he knows." Will explained as he cradled the puppy in his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…" Buffy looked at Spike who looked back. "Uhh… you see… we heard of this psycho in a costume on the loose and we were worried about you."

"A psycho in a costume?" Will repeated as he raised his eyebrows. "That's nice but I doubt that a psycho would come after me. He might try to go after you two more than me since Buffy is a girl, no offense, and Spike's radioactive hair just yell 'attack me'."

Spike ran his hand through his hair. "Radioactive?" He repeated.

"We'll be fine. It's that… it's safer in numbers." Buffy grinned at him. "Come on; let's go back to your house." She grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the shed.

**XXX**

"Oh, thank god." Leia sighed as she and the others gathered in the bomb shelter. "I was so scared that Will is…"

"He's not, not right now. But, that vision hangover isn't leaving so Will is still in trouble." Spike said as he rubbed his temples.

"Vision hangover?" Buffy repeated.

"A headache that comes from the vision. If the vision isn't resolved, the headache remains until then." Gunn replied as he handed Spike a bottle of aspirin and a pouch of blood.

"Ouch." Leia winced.

"Not that bad." Spike took down the aspirin and the blood. "All we have to do is kill the demon and my headache goes away."

"That… is harder than it sounds." Ryoma said as he opened up a scroll. "We had dealt with this type of demon before with tragic consequences."

"Great. Now, we have to not only find the poofhead but also protect Will and his puppy."

"Puppy?" Leia stared at Spike. "Will doesn't have a puppy. He hates dogs."

"Not what we saw. He was coddling the pup like a baby." Spike recalled and then he frowned.

"A puppy. This is not going good." Leia twisted her hands as she paced. "Will always hated dogs, he felt like that they are always watching him. This is not good. He stopped teasing me, cleaned his room, plays with puppies and listens to Barry Manilow! He's gone evil!"

"Listening Barry Manilow does not mean that he has gone evil." Buffy said as she clamped on Leia's shoulder. "I had plenty of experience with good guys going evil and I can personally say that Will is not an evil man just a normal human being with a bad case of amnesia."

**XXX**

"I am not evil, I have amnesia." Angel said as he gazed into the mirror. His new puppy was asleep in a box full of newspapers. He could not help but feel guilty for making Buffy and the others worried about him. He didn't expect to find the puppy all alone but he wanted to help it. The former champion in him just loved puppies. He picked up the puppy. "What should I name you? I can name you 'Lindsey' or 'Angelus'. Heh…" He chuckled to himself.

**XXX**

"Something is telling me that man is not my brother." Leia held her head. "I wish someone would believe me."

"We have done all the tests." Ryoma comforted as he put his hand on Leia's head. "If there was something wrong with William, we would have seen it by now."

"And if there is anything else, I can sense it." Willow said as she came in. "Hi."

"Will! Glad you could make it." Buffy said as she smiled at her old friend. "How was Tibet?"

"Tibety." Willow chuckled, "Giles told me what happened." She looked at Spike and his friends. "Spike, Gunn, I'm sorry. If I had known, I would've come much sooner."

"I know. You're not the type to ignore anyone." Spike smiled slightly at her. "So, can you help us out with Blue?"

"I do not wish to go back to the Deeper Well." Illyria said as she stepped forward.

Willow's eyes widened as she gazed at the ex-old god. She could sense great power within the figure. Although it had weakened, she had never seen anything like it before. She shifted her eyes to normal sight and then gasped. "Oh my god… Fred?"

"I am Illyria." Illyria cocked her head and the two studied each other. "You are stronger than most of these humans." She paused for a moment. "You lust after me."

Willow blushed brightly as she turned away feeling like the old awkward nerdy Willow she was before she studied witchcraft. The others looked on interested and she said, "It's the leather. Don't tell Kennedy."

"We won't. Can you help her?" Spike asked, "At least, is Fred really gone?"

"Hard to say." Willow's eyes turned white as she circled Illyria. "I never saw an Old God before, Glory was the closest I've seen. I don't believe that Fred's gone, I can sense her a little." Her gaze returned to normal. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out and maybe William too."

"What is there to figure out?" William asked as he came in carrying his puppy.

"You and… what's the deal with the puppy?" Leia asked as the group glanced to see Illyria back to being Fred again.

"I was thinking of adopting him. I just need to convince Mom and Dad, get a bunch of pet supplies, and… name him." He said as he held up the little brown puppy up. "Isn't he cute?"

"Adorable. Reminds me of Oz." Willow giggled, "Oh, I'm Willow."

"William." Angel said as he smiled at the redhead. He remembered someone named 'Oz' but it was vague. "Who's Oz?"

"An old boyfriend." Willow replied, "We kinda broke up because of his condition."

Angel paled. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten Oz. True, he hadn't seen the werewolf in years but he should've remembered him. "Oh."

"Will." Buffy whispered and then Willow and Angel looked at her.

"Yeah?" The two said at once and then looked at each other.

Buffy chuckled and amended. "William."

"Yeah?" Spike and Angel said at once and then glared at each other.

"She's talking to me." Angel said as he looked at Buffy. "Yeah?"

"We need to get the name thing down. Look, don't go out at night. Stay inside where it's nice and safe and there's no chance of you getting killed by some demony creature." Buffy advised, "Not that there are any demons out there. Ha ha."

"Ha. You really take this role playing thing seriously." Angel observed as he quirked.

"It's an obsession." Buffy shrugged. She had been slaying for over eight years. It wasn't an obsession, it was a way of life.

"I'll keep it in mind, Buffy." Angel said as he walked off with the puppy in his hands.

**XXX**

Buffy sat in the bushes just outside of Will's window. She couldn't help but feel guilty for stalking Will. After all, she had been stalked many times by love sick vampires, first Angel and then Spike. Still, there was no other way. She had to stay outside and keep an eye on him.

"Here you go." Willow said as she came up and handed Buffy a thermos. "Something to keep you going?"

"Thanks." Buffy accepted and started to pour a cup. "Did you sense anything from Will?"

"Nada. He's a nice normal human but… there's something familiar about his soul." Willow pondered. "Hard to explain. But, he is human."

"Good." Buffy looked through her binoculars. "We just have to keep an eye on him while getting Angel back. Where ever he is."

**XXX**

Angel was a stalker in his past life. He made it an art when he was Angelus to cause terror in the hearts of women all over Europe. Despite his human status and somewhat fading memory, he still had his skills.

"Buffy makes a lousy stalker." Angel mused as he looked out his window to see the two camping out under his window. He couldn't help but feel the irony that Buffy was the stalker and he was the stalkee. Before, he was the stalker and she was the stalkee. While he could see the humor in it, he was worried. Buffy and Spike were scared for him, what was it? Was it a real demon trying to get him because he was Leia's brother? Or was it some demonic goddess? He had enough of those in his lifetime.

"Too much worry is bad for the skin." Shanshu said as she appeared in her whirlwind.

"I can't help it. Buffy and the others are coming and Willow… she will know." Angel whispered as he closed the curtains.

"Not yet." The prophesy shook her head. "Willow is a powerful witch, she could even be considered a goddess but she is still human. Humans are naturally short sighted. There's no way that she could 'see' who you really are. Unfortunately, there's still a chance that you could expose yourself. I must do what I have to do." Her hands and eyes glowed brightly as she stepped forward.

"No." Angel whispered, "You can't. Don't, I don't want to lose myself." He tried to step back only his legs refused to move. "Shanshu, please, don't."

"You won't feel a thing." Shanshu promised and put both hands on his chest. The two are surrounded by a bright light and the young man collapsed onto the bed. She stared down at him and kissed him on the cheek. "I should have done this a long time ago. I would have asked you to forgive me but to forgive, one must first remember. Sweet dreams, my champion."

**XXX**

Meanwhile, Buffy felt a faint stab in her heart. "Angel." She whispered as she put her hand on her chest.

To Be Continued…


	8. Enter the Demon Debbi

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Eight

By Marie Nomad

The house had changed. Buffy saw the house surrounded by the white picket fence but there was a girl banging boards on the door. She was slightly taller than her and has pink hair. Her hair was strangely natural looking. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer. Instead she took more boards and started nailing them on the windows, on the walls, and even on the ceiling. Buffy's heart turned. "Stop it! You're locking him in!" Quickly, she reached out for the girl only to see her hand went through. "Okay, this is getting stupid. Leave the house alone." She grabbed one of the boards and tried to pull it off.

The pink haired girl glared at her and then flung her away. "You are causing too much damage!" She screamed as the house moaned.

Out of nowhere, clouds gathered and rain fell.

Buffy jolted up to see she was soaking wet next to an equally wet Willow. "Hey!" She scsreamed as she got out her stake and saw William with a hose in his hand.

"Pays you for stalking me." William chuckled.

"What makes you think that I was stalking?" Buffy fumed.

"The sleeping bags, the coffee… and the binoculars."

At that, Buffy blushed brightly. She tried to figure out a nice logical explanation for her being in Will's yard with camping gear and a pair of binoculars. Buffy may be a slayer but she was not a stalker. "Oh… I was… uh…"

"Bird watching." Willow concluded and Buffy gawked at her and then added.

"Yeah, bird watching. There are so many birds out at night." Buffy said as she grinned.

"Bird watching… right." William laughed, "Well, I have to go and do some more job hunting and stuff."

Buffy jumped up and took his hand. "Let me come with you." She paused, "I mean, I've been there and you might need some help."

"I don't need a bodyguard or a stalker. Besides, its daylight, no vampire would dare attack me right now." William said as he touched the sunlight coming down over the trees.

"True but there are de-" Buffy stopped and stared at him. "That's a joke right?"

William stared at his hand covered by sunlight. "Yeah. It's a joke." He blinked. He didn't know why he made such a joke or why he was serious about Buffy. Last night, something happened and a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. He never felt to free and so confused in his life, like he had lost his memory only more real. "I… I gotta go." He ran off.

"Oh no you don't." Buffy marched on after him.

The two walked past the two goddesses who watched the scene. "That is so unfair." Cordelia scowled at Shanshu. "You wiped Angel's memories too! What about that demon on the way?"

"Buffy and her mortal allies could handle him. Demon hunting is one of the few things they can do right."

"Hey! They are her friends and why do you think so little of them?" Cordelia demanded.

"Because they think so little of Angel. They may act like they support them but I know that they and you make every attempt keep him miserable." Shanshu replied as she smirked, "

"That was high school stuff. Besides, there's the curse."

"You mortals never cared for Angel. At least, not the way that he deserves."

"And you can?"

"Yes."

Cordelia flung up her hands. "Oh brother! Well, looks like I have some work to do." She vanished in a bright light.

"Not if I have anything to do about it." Shanshu vanished in a whirlwind.

**XXX**

William glanced behind him as Buffy followed him. He didn't understand why the petite woman would want to follow him like this. It was like she was his bodyguard and he was the unwanted celebrity. He should get this nut away from him but she was Leia's friend and he liked her.

He really liked her. There was something familiar about her, something that he couldn't place. Yesterday, he was less confused than he was now. He didn't know why but this morning, he woke up feeling free. He wanted to eat, enjoy the sunshine, just the basic out of coma stuff he loved to do. Then, he looked down at Buffy who was looking around warily.

"Look, no one is going to attack us. The name of this town is Sunnydale, what could happen?"

"Everything." Buffy muttered under her breath.

William became confused again. "Huh?"

Buffy smiled a bright but fake smile. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Nope, this is a very normal town and nothing will happen to you."

The guy just sighed and looked down at her. "You're a lousy liar."

"I am not!" Buffy puffed insulted that William thinks that she was lying to him. Granted, she was but she couldn't believe that he would think that she did.

William laughed as he walked away. "You're incredible." Buffy paled as she swore she saw Angel standing in front of her where William was. "If I was blind, I would still see you."

Buffy's eyes widened as the vision faded. "Oh… oh…" She shook her head as she tried to focus. She couldn't believe that she was actually thinking of Angel when William is standing right next to her with problems of his own including a great big demon that will kill him.

"Are you okay?" William asked.

"I'm fine. Fine." She glanced around for any signs of the demon. "So… what are you going to name the puppy?"

"I'm not sure." William shrugged. "These names just pop up in my head but nothing felt right."

"I'm sure you can think of a good name for the puppy." Buffy walked along side of him.

"And keep an eye out for any demons." William reminded as he winked.

"Oh yeah."

**XXX**

It was a nice normal day at Dante's Gate. Dante's gate was a nice normal demon bar where demons go to get a nice cool drink and catch up on the latest gossip. Most demons ended up in Sunnydale, New Jersey, mistaking it for the Sunnydale in California. The bar was quiet except for a few 'day walkers' and demons that could look human.

"You know, it's not a safe time to be in Sunnydale." Bobshaka said as he filled up the drinks. Bobshaka was human sized, green, with long tendrels as 'hair'. Ever since Attack of the Clones, people thought that he was that Jedi. "The Mama Slayer is here along with the witch and the vampire with the soul."

"Grrr…" A huge gray demon wearing a tattered green pair of pants with long white hair lumbered forward. "Graka briz boyjerk Will Smith?"

"No, I don't know any Will Smith except for the actor." Bobshaka replied. As a bartender, he knows many languages both alive and dead.

"Gris pah mih." The demon tapped on his nose.

"Oh, so you could smell him nearby? You still gotta be careful. All these slayers around, one can't be too careful."

"You've got that right, mate." Spike said as he came out of the shadows. "Gotta love those underground passages." He glared at the demon. "Look here, you better stay away from Will Smith, the Mama Slayer has a thing for him and I don't want her heart to be broken again."

"Kah bash grish! Porl brashka, Debbi." The demon pounded his chest.

Spike's eyes widened. "This Will bloke killed your brother and you want revenge, Debbi?"

Debbi nodded and roared, "KAH BAH ROSHKA LLIK VOHAH!"

"I don't care. I've died twice, been there done that. Shall we fight?" Spike said as he got out a long broadsword and get into position. At once, the other demons backed away and Debbi and Spike lunged at each other.

**XXX**

"So, has it always been peaceful here?" William asked as he and Buffy walked arm in arm.

"How should I know? I don't live here? You've been here all your-" Buffy replied and then looked down. "Oh, the amnesia, bad Buffy."

William laughed. "It's okay. I like it when people forget that I have amnesia, it makes me feel human, normal."

"Oh well, yeah, you are normal. You are all nice and normally." Buffy agreed as she nodded. "Will- Willow and Giles will help you with the memory problem. They… use techniques that may seem weird but trust me; they know what they are doing."

"Great because… lately, I've been feeling empty. Like, I need something but I don't know what. I feel so cold inside, especially now. I don't like the cold, Buffy." William put his hand on her cheek.

Buffy put her hand on his and gazed into his eyes. "Me too." They started to lean into each other for a kiss.

"Buffy!" Fred called out and the two pushed each other apart.

"Damn!" Buffy muttered and then saw Illyria in her Fred disguise waving her hands. "What is it?"

"It's Spike, he's hurt." Fred exclaimed, "I mean, badly hurt by that… nut we were talking about before."

"Where is he?" Buffy was concerned about Spike. True, Spike is a vampire and he once recovered from having an organ crash on him but he was still vulnerable and still her friend.

"Over in the bomb shelter."

"Wait." William held out his hand. "If Spike is so badly hurt, why not take him to the hospital?"

"Uhhh…" Buffy and Fred looked at each other. "He… he's an illegal immigrant who had some major law trouble." Buffy fibbed, "He can't go to a hospital."

"But… illegal immigrants go to the hospital all the time and Spike doesn't look all that… illegal."

"Oh… well…" Buffy looked at Fred who just looked back. "Umm… he just can't go. That's why."

William frowned. For some reason, Spike not going to the hospital made sense. It didn't sound logical but it made sense to him. "Well, I guess. We better make sure he's okay."

"No." Buffy said as she put her hands on his chest. "You can't. I mean, he doesn't like you. It's better if you just go home and stay there, in the house."

"I'm not a kid and I'm a strong guy. I can handle myself. Why do I have a feeling that you're hiding something from me?" Will asked.

"She's not." Leia said from behind. "Will, just do as she says. There's a nutcase out there and he will kill you."

"What about the police?"

"Ha! Like they could do anything." Buffy laughed and then Will stared at her. "Well, the police these days. Not a bunch of bright guys."

"Let's go." Leia took William by the hand and dragged him home. Buffy and Fred followed them.

**XXX**

"Look, I don't see why I have to stay at home." Will complained as Leia stood at the door.

"It's for your own good." Leia advised, "Just please stay in this room until the psycho is taken care of."

"What? Now wait." Will protested but then Leia ran out and closed the door behind her. "You are being ridiculous."

When there was no answer, he sat down and sighed. "Damn it." He reached under his bed to get out a long broadsword and then stared at it. "Where did I get this?"

**XXX**

Buffy and Fred ran to the bomb shelter and the slayer rushed in to see Spike bruised and bloody with Willow tending to his wounds. "How is he?" Buffy asked.

"Fine but I can't heal him like I could with normal people. Healing magic is holy and dark magic is on my off list so…" Willow pointed to the bandages.

"Old fashioned way." Buffy guessed.

Spike sat up and picked up a pen. 'I've been through worse, Luv. Where's your boyfriend?' He wrote out and held up the pad in large but strangely elegant letters.

"He's not my boyfriend and you can't talk?"

The vampire shook his head and wrote out, 'My jaw is broken, wired shut, can't talk or eat normal food for a few hours at least. Can still feed though just no biting.'

"Ouch."

Spike shrugged. 'Been through worse. Once had my hands lopped off and that was not fun.'

"Who could do that?"

Spike paused, ripped off another sheet and wrote out, 'Dana, that psycho slayer you took in.'

"Oh. Who… what did this to you?"

Spike drew out a rough sketch of a demon that looked like Doomsday and wrote below it, 'Debbi'.

"Debbi? We have to fight a big scary demon named 'Debbi'?" Buffy said as she fought the urge to laugh. "Why do we get the weird naming demons, Glory, Angelus, Caleb, The First, he didn't even have a name."

"Regardless, he's a scary demon race." Ryoma said as he looked at the demon. "Ah yes, I was expecting him to come when William got out of his coma."

"Eh?"

"It's true." Ryoma sighed, "We fought his brother before and William… I was hoping that the demon won't come because of the time but I was wrong."

"Damn it!" Buffy kicked the wall. "The one time I met a guy that I am attracted to that is 'normal' and he has to be a walking demon target!"

"At least he's human. Oh, no offense Spike." Willow said as Spike glared at her. The vampire sighed and just closed his eyes.

"We still need to get that demon and if he kicked Spike's ass then he gotta be tough." Gunn said, "How did Will get that demon? Did he have the slayer powers like Leia?"

"No, only girls can become slayers and Will has no special abilities." Ryoma explained, "That is why Leia is so concerned about him. She need for him to be safe from her duty. Besides, he cannot be prepared for this."

**XXX**

Will spun around as he swung the metal sword . He didn't know how long he had the sword or even where he got his sword at. It was heavy in his hands but strangely comfortable. Did he use this sword before he had amnesia and when? More importantly, why would he need to use a sword?

There was a knock at the door. "Will?" It was Buffy.

"Wait a second!" Will tossed the sword under the bed and opened the door. "Yeah?"

"Hi." Buffy said as she grinned, "I'm sorry if you were feeling…"

"Like everyone is treating me like I'm helpless?" Will guessed, "I just don't get why that is. I'm the older brother; I'm supposed to protect my little sister. I may not remember much but I know that part."

"Well…" Buffy turned around and crossed her arms. "The world is a very complicated place. Leia's just worried about you."

"That's the point. I'm a grown boy. I can handle myself in a situation. You have a little sister right?"

"Yeah, her name is Dawn."

"And how would you feel if she was constantly protecting you?"

Buffy paused as she thought of all the times she saved Dawn. "It would feel a little freaky since I had to protect her from-" She stopped when she remembered. "All those boys trying to get her. My mom died from a tumor so I had to take over and raise Dawn myself."

"Oh." Will feels a pang of pain in his heart. "I'm… I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry, it was years ago." Buffy shook her head. "But, thanks. It's just that… there's a lot that's going on that you might freak out about. We just want you to take it one step at a time."

Will frowned. He felt insulted. How could she think that he couldn't handle what was going on? He had plenty of experience, from where, he didn't know but he knows stuff. "Buffy, just tell me what is going on. What is the secret? I can handle it."

Tears started to trickle from Buffy's eyes. She had to tell him something. She knew that as soon as he found out her dark secret, he might turn away or go nuts. No human could have her as long as that man knows. She shook her head. Leia must tell first, Will was her brother. "Leia must tell you first but just trust me. Okay?"

Will took her hand. "I trust you, Buffy, with all my heart and soul." He glanced at the door to see Spike walking up to the door. "Don't you dare come in here!" As soon as he said those words, Spike bumped his head on the invisible barrier and fell back. "Whoa. Cool." He grinned as he reached at the doorway to feel nothing. Spike glared at him and flipped him the bird. Then, he pointed at Will again and gestured to him and then walked his fingers towards the door. "Huh?"

"Invite him in." Buffy figured. "He comes from a family of mimes so he can't enter a home or a room without being invited into."

"No, I'm not letting him in my room and him take my stuff." Will denied.

Spike stared at him. How did Will know not to let him in? It wasn't like he knew that he was a vampire. To him, vampires shouldn't exist; like Boogymen and honest politicians. He got out his white board with marker and wrote out, 'I'm not interested in your stuff. I'm not a thief you wanker.'

"I thought mimes don't talk or write." Will asked.

'I broke my jaw, mate.'

"Don't call me mate and how did you break your jaw?"

Spike stared at his white board and wrote out, 'If you let me in, I'll tell you.'

"Not a chance, Willie." Will stopped as he felt the name came off his lips. Where did that came from?

Spike was equally surprised. That insulted hurt him and only one man had ever called him 'Willie' and got away with it and he had vanished off the face of the Earth. Ever since he first met Will, there had been a familiar presence about him. Like he had met him before but he couldn't remember when. Then, his eyes widened as he wrote out, 'I gotta go to the shelter. Be right back.' He ran off.

"Wonder what that was about?" Buffy asked.

"No idea. He's your ex-boyfriend."

"I never understood him. He always do stuff that just come out of left field like when he made that Buffybot and got that soul just to get me-" She stopped in midrant and added, "That was just role playing of course."

"Of course."

**XXX**

Buffy walked to the shelter where she saw Spike leaning against the door. 'I figured it out.' Spike wrote out as he chuckled. 'Whoever did this is a bright one.'

"You know?" Buffy asked wide eyed. "You actually figured it out."

'What did you expect? I knew him way before your grandparents were even born.'

"So? Where is he? Where's Angel?"

Spike sauntered up to her and wrote out, 'It was quite brilliant actually. Whoever the latest goddess was.'

"Spike…" Buffy warned as she held up a stake.

'Okay okay. Angel is-' He stopped when he felt his chest burning. He stepped back with his hand on his chest. He tried to write out again, 'Angel is…"

"Spike?" Buffy came up to him and the vampire collapsed onto the floor. "SPIKE!"

Standing over Spike's body, Shanshu stood there smiling.

To Be Continued…


	9. The Unheard

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Nine

By Marie Nomad

Spike had been through many things in his long life as a vampire. He had been killed, turned into a ghost, made into a sex slave of a slayer, and even had fought a puppet Angel. Now, he looked down at himself in Buffy's arms. "Am I dead again?" He wondered.

"Not really dead, just incapacitated."

The vampire turned around to see a young pink haired girl standing there. "Oh great, so you must be this goddess bint that took Peaches away and did that forced reincarnation sort of thing to him."

"How observant of you. You had always been more intelligent than you let on." Shanshu walked around him. "Just so you know, you're not dead. You're suffering an out of body experience and you're not going back in unless you agree to leave Sunnydale and take your mortal friends with you."

"Like hell I'm not. I've been a ghost before and I can reach them." Spike said as he tried to focus and then a painful headache struck him. He fell over and held his head.

"Not on my watch." Shanshu warned. "I'm not like Glorificus who is restrained by a mortal. I can kill you with a thought."

"Then, why didn't you?" Spike asked, "Why spare me?"

"Because if I kill you, your friends would want revenge and they wouldn't leave. They didn't bother with Angel before, why do they care for him now?"

"The hell that I know but you should just butt out of this." Spike warned, "Willow and Illyria are powerful people and they can get you. Buffy killed a goddess or two herself."

"I don't care."

"Well, I do." The two turned around to see Cordelia in her glory. "Hi, Spike."

"I thought you were dead."

"I did but I got promoted." Cordelia said as she glared at Shanshu. "You really took things to the next level. What's the deal with Angel! You mind raped him."

"I was just making things comfortable for him and I have that right."

"Well, now that you did all this, I can counter act. First, with Spike." Cordelia waved her hand and Spike vanished. "Now, I can be more active. I will stop you and show what a huge mistake you're making."

"You can't stop me. I've had eons of experience."

"Well, I grew up in Sunnydale, California." Cordelia vanished in a bright light.

**XXX**

Spike opened his eyes and found himself in bed with his jaw fully healed. "Did I die again?" He asked Willow.

"No, but you really had us worried. You were out cold but not dead because if you were dead, you would've been dust." Willow said, "I tapped into a tiny amount of dark magic to heal you."

"Thanks." Spike rubbed his jaw. "Feels good to talk again. Look, I met the goddesses that are fighting over Peaches. They are grwh khikh ligh miss." He stopped when gibberish started to come out of his mouth.

"What?"

"Brhak croosh!" He yelled and then he closed his eyes. The pink haired goddess must've done this to him. "Bullocks!" He cursed and then looked at Willow. "Sorry, I can't tell you anything, literally."

"Damn." Buffy came up and said, "So, you figured out this mystery but a goddess is keeping you from saying anything?"

"Pretty much. Just like with Glory but less annoying." Spike sighed. He wanted to let Buffy know about what he found out. It was just a theory but now he was positive that whoever, whatever that goddess was, she have her claws in the ex-vampire.

"Swell. Can't you offer any clues at all?"

"Brok kah vrous." Spike replied.

"Guess not." Buffy held her head. It was just like that time she had to deal with Glory and Spike knew what was going on but the spell kept on mind wiping the humans of that precious information about Ben and Glory. "Okay relax; as long as Angel is safe, then we can still look for him on our own."

**XXX**

"Have you seen Will?" Leia asked her mother who was preparing dinner.

"I'm right here." Will said as he came in with his puppy in his arms. "Hi, Mom, Leia." He came up and hugged them with one arm, the other holding his puppy.

"Will, there you are." Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Great." Will started to set the table. He couldn't help but smile. He loved eating, especially with his family. It made him feel so normal.

Soon, they sat at the table with only a faint fog of discomfort around them.

"So, how was your day?" Will asked Leia.

"Oh, fine. Fine." Leia smiled at him.

"How are you at finding Debbi?" Elizabeth asked.

"Who? Is she a friend of yours?" Will said as he looked at his sister who was looking down.

"No, not at all." Leia laughed nervously. Will narrowed his eyes. His parents suddenly became very interested in their food.

"So… Will." Joshua said, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." Will replied and then poked at his dinner. "Mom, Dad, Leia… what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked perplexed. "Everything is fine."

"Then, why are you being overly cheerful? Leia forbid me from leaving the house and there's something out there hunting me."

Elizabeth and Joshua looked at each other. "There's nothing wrong, sweetheart." Elizabeth said as she put more food on his plate. "You have no enemies and you're perfectly safe."

Joshua snorted and dug into his food. Will saw that and frowned again. "Say… son." Joshua said, "Maybe next week, we can go and do some fishing sometime."

"Fishing. Sounds great." Will smiled a little at the idea of spending quality time with his father. It had taken some doing but he felt that his father was finally warming up to him. Then, he saw his family just staring at him. "I'm full." He concluded as he put away his dishes and walked off.

**XXX**

Giles looked in the bomb shelter where Spike was playing video games. The vampire was playing 'Mortal Kombat'. He had to laugh, it was just like Spike to play such a gruesome game. He watched as Spike played on gritting his teeth, letting out his anger.

"I did that combo!" Spike yelled at the TV and bashed his hand into the game. He paused when he saw Giles standing there. He sat back down and glared at him.

Giles could see the look of anger and hurt in his eyes. "Spike, I understand that you are angry but we must talk."

Spike just stared ahead. A long uncomfortable moment of silence passed between then.

"You are behaving immaturely. You haven't spoken directly to me since I came here." Giles explained, "I'm sorry about Fred but we all made mistakes."

"You hate my soul."

Giles blinked as he took off his glasses and cleaned them. "E-excuse me?"

"You hate the fact that I have a soul." Spike said clearer. "We weren't best friends but we were mates. Fellow Englishmen bonded by our love for Buffy, money, and Passions. Then, I went off to get a soul and when I came back, you stayed away from me. You even made it possible for Wood to beat me up. Admit it, you can't stand the idea of another vampire with a soul. That's why you hate me and Angel."

"Now… now that is absolutely absurd. I'm glad that you have a soul voluntarily."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Nice try but I can smell a lie a mile away. You watchers lived in a black and white world. You are the good guys and we are the bad guys. Angel and I, we're a huge blob of gray. When I had my chip, I couldn't hurt you or any other Scooby. I was at your mercy and so you and your friends used me. That was why you were so nice to me. Because you know that I can't hurt anyone. But, when I ditched the chip and got the soul that changed everything. I can hurt you. I could kill you right here, right now if I want to. You hate the idea of you not being able to control me, have me as your personal vampire pet/companion. That's also why you hated Angel too. We may have souls but you know that we could still be evil and that scares you." Spike got up and stood up in front of him. "You let your guard down around Angel before and your girlfriend died because of that. So, that's why you refused him help every chance you have. Because, you can't trust a demon with a human soul. You can't before and you can't again."

Giles stared at him. "No. No, that's not it."

"You're lying again." Spike waved his finger.

"All right! I don't trust any demon with a human soul because I can't kill you! You're not human, you're not all demon, I can't figure out what to do with you."

"So you ignore us. Even with an innocent girl's life at stake." Spike mused, "To think that you watchers believe that you are the good guys. But in reality, you are a wanker who abandons people because you don't like them. You abandoned Buffy, Angel, and who knows what else."

"I left Buffy because she needed to stand on her own." Giles argued, "You know that."

"Oh, brilliant. Let's abandon an emotionally wrecked girl with super powers when she needs help the most. Great job, the world nearly went to Hell because of that. Buffy told me about Willow's dark period."

"It was a mistake and I regret that."

Spike reached into his pocket and got out a cigarette. "Yeah right. You loved the idea that you get to play the hero for a moment and proved how much Buffy needed you. You didn't abandon her just so she could stand on her own, you abandoned her just so she could come crawling to you!"

"No."

"And why didn't you call for help when you found out about me having a soul? Did you hate me and Angel that much so you can see me suffer?"

"No."

"Or what about when you tossed Buffy out of the house? Was it in her best interest then?"

"No."

"You are a coward and a hypocrite." Spike said, "And blind as a bat since you don't see Angel." Spike got up. "If you excuse me, I'm going to spar with Blue." He walked off leaving Giles alone.

"It's not your fault. He's just mad." Willow said as she came into the room. "But, he's right, you and Spike were… friendly until he got that soul."

"He was a pawn for the First. We couldn't afford to trust him completely. I did try to help him."

"Yeah, by having him held captive by Robin and getting beaten to death." Willow clenched her fists. "I hate men. That year was Hell. First, there was Xander's stupid lie and then you and everything else. I'm going to save Fred while I can. I won't abandon her." She vowed as she walked off.

Giles frowned and wondered, "What lie?"

**XXX**

Will sighed as he sat at his desk sketching. There were various sketches of Buffy, his family, Spike, and a few others. Now, he was working on a brand new sketch. He had to do something, he was bored to death. "Hey! Will!" Josh gushed as he climbed up the tree and jumped into the room.

"Josh. Long time no see."

"Feels that way, huh." Josh sat down and admired the room. "So, did I hear right about your little sis locking you in your room?"

"I'm afraid so." Will sighed as he looked at his sketch. It was a vivid sketch of a dragon attacking a city.

"Cool drawing." Josh said as he held up the picture. "Maybe you can design our band's logo."

"If I will ever be let out of here. What's the big deal?" Will asked his friend. "I know that something is going on. Something… beyond my case of amnesia. I don't know what though."

"Well… I'm sure that it's just some paranoia caused by watching X-Files." Josh looked outside. "Just chill, Leia's just been overprotective since that accident."

"I guess." Will shook his head. "Say, do you know where I got this at?" He reached under the bed and got out his sword.

Josh's jaw dropped. "Whoa… I mean no. Not really. Maybe, you were getting into role playing before the accident."

"Maybe. I don't know. Just that I've been having this weird feeling that nothing is right. I'm not right." Will's heart pounded. Why was he feeling like this? When Buffy is gone, he couldn't help but feel like he needed to see her about something. "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't know." Josh muttered, "Look, I'm sure things will work out in the end. They always do."

At once, a chill crept up in his chest. "Do they?"

"Yeah." Josh glanced down and saw the puppy. "A puppy! So, the rumors are true, you finally got yourself a dog."

"I know. I haven't gotten a name for him yet." Will picked up the dog. "I was thinking… Scooby?"

"Cool." Josh nodded. "Like that cartoon dog. Gotta love that Scooby Doo."

"Oh yeah." Will grinned falsely. He put down the dog on his bed and picked up his sword.

_Close your eyes._

Will gasped as he felt a strange knot in his stomach. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Will clenched his fists. "I'm fine." He looked out of the window and then at the door. "Let's go out."

"Say what?"

"I mean it. I'm seeing things and I need to get out." Will climbed out of the window. "I'm feeling very claustrophobic right now."

**XXX**

Willow rubbed her head as she tried to figure out what to do. She had to not only find Angel whom she had no idea what he was, break this stupid spell on Spike, figure out how to cure Will's amnesia, defeat a powerful demon, and get Fred back.

"Okay, one thing at a time, Willow." Willow said to herself. She can't take care of all the problems at once. The last time she tried, she became Dark Willow and she didn't want Buffy to try to save the world again. The first thing that she should do is find a powerful demon but what she really need to do was get Fred back. Spike and Gunn still hold a grudge against Giles for what happened and she couldn't blame them. She loved Fred, even thought about dating her if she was the type. Even if she wasn't, she still wanted to know her better. At least, if Fred could be restored, it would help heal the rift in the team and make things easier for everyone.

She flipped opened a spell book that she had been looking at for a while. It had various spells about exorcisms, curing demons, and other fun stuff. Finally, she found the spell she was looking for. She stared at it absorbing the spell's powers.

"You found something?" Gunn asked as he came in.

"I think so." Willow showed him the spellbook. "It's a separation of essence spell. With enough power, I can separate Illyria and Fred into two different people."

"Great, so start with the spell casting."

"Not so fast." Willow held up her hand. "This type of spell is major tricky. There's no telling how this will affect Fred or even Illyria as individuals. They may not even separate into Fred and Illyira but two very different entities. Also, sometimes whenever I cast a complicated spell, there are unseen consequences."

"Like what?"

"Spike and Buffy getting engaged."

At that, Gunn's jaw dropped. "Say what?"

"I… accidentally caused Spike and Buffy to get engaged." Willow repeated sheepishly. "It was a long time ago and all they did was make out. I had to bake a lot of cookies to make up for that."

Gunn chuckled and then laughed. "Don't you just love magic. I remember this time, Lorne, lost his sleep, literally and ended up causing me to pee all over the place, Fred and Wes to be drunk, Spike to be optimistic, and Angel and Eve to have sex constantly."

Willow's eyes bulged. "Who's Eve?"

"She's… a long story. Don't tell Buffy okay?"

"Okay, anyway, I can't just jump into this without knowing what's going to happen. I know that you love Fred and all but I need time to make sure that she won't come back wrong like with Buffy."

"Buffy? I thought she was fine when she came back from the dead."

"No, not at all. I ripped her from Heaven. I swear, I didn't know but maybe I was being too greedy. I missed her and I brought her back against her will and it took her a long time to adjust to being on Earth again."

"But, this is different. Fred is trapped in the same body as a demonic old god." Gunn looked down, "But… if she is not there then you don't have to bring her back."

"I'll need time to really study this. And the second I know that it's safe, I'll do the spell. Promise."

Gunn just grinned. It dawned on him that this is the first sign of hope for his friend. That there is a chance that Fred will come back to him and Spike. "Take your time. I want this spell to go right." He grinned again and hugged the witch. "I could kiss you!"

"Uhhh…" Willow blushed and added, "I'm gay, remember?"

"Oh." Gunn let go. "I have to tell Spike." He ran off and Willow sighed in relief.

"Maybe, things will finally get better."

**XXX**

"You sure you want to do this?" Josh asked as he and Will walked down the street. They were alone and Will was carrying his steel sword.

"Yeah. Something is going on, Leia wants to protect me from something. I can feel it. I have to deal with this just so I can look at myself in the mirror." Will said as he waved the sword around.

"But… can't you let the others deal with this?" Josh asked, "You know, there are major bad things going on around here that you don't know about."

"You got that right."

The two looked behind to see a group of men with lumpy foreheads and huge teeth. "Oh my god." Will muttered as he clutched his sword.

"We're on a recruitment drive and you seem like worthy candidates." A vampire said as he adjusted his coat. They were all dressed in leather jackets straight out of the Grease movie. "You seem to have the potential to be a dangerous vampire and your relationship to two slayers makes things even better."

"Slayer?" Will repeated dumbfounded. "Look, I'm not interested in role playing or wearing make up or anything like that. I'm just trying to figure myself out." His heart pounded as he tightened his grip on the sword. Something deep in him is screaming for him to run away.

"Role playing?" The head vampire laughed. "This is rich! You really have no idea what's going on do you?"

"Let's book!" Josh yelled as he reached behind him and fired with his water gun. A stream of water hit the head vampire and smoke came off of his body. Josh grabbed his hand and pulled Will away.

"Yeow!" The vampire screamed. "Get them!"

"What did you do to him?" Will asked dumbfounded as they ran through the street.

"Less talk and more run." Josh pointed to a church. "In there! Hurry!" He fired more water at the vampires who scattered. They vanished and reappeared in front of them. "Oh shit."

"What's going on?" Will asked again.

Before anyone can answer, an arrow shot the head vampire in the chest. The two looked to see a lone figure dressed in black with a crossbow in each hand. He had an eye patch on his face as well as a five o'clock shadow. "Move away from the two."

"Who are you?" Will couldn't help but feel like he knew him before.

"Have no fear, Xander is here."

To Be Continued…


	10. The Truth Revealed Itself

Prophesy After the Fact

Part 10

By Marie Nomad

Will couldn't help but feel shocked. Something deep in him was screaming that it couldn't be Xander. Xander was a wimp. Then, he wondered if he had met this guy before.

"Do you mind? We're recruiting." The vampire leader said as he came closer.

"Not today, fangy!" Xander taunted. He looked with his good eye and yelled, "Get out of here! I'll take care of these vamps."

"Huh?"

"Just go!" Josh grabbed Will by the arm and pulled him to the church. It was an old church which was open. The blond closed the doors behind him. "We'll be safe in here."

"Uh huh." Will's heart pounded. "Answer me this, what the hell is going on!"

"Just chill. They can't get in here." Josh got out his cell phone. "Hey, Leia, this is Josh. What? Hey, it was Will's idea not mine. You know how he is. We're trapped in the church by the Sunnydale graveyard by a bunch of vamps on a recruiting drive. Yeah, this guy in an eyepatch by the name of Xander had saved our butts. He's a vampire hunter. Uh huh. Uh huh. I don't think I can hide that from him. Bye." He hung up.

"Joshua…" Will growled as he grabbed Josh by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall. "What. Is. Going. On."

Josh's eyes widened. "Look, I promised Leia that I won't tell you. Just ask her. Those vamps can't get in here because of all the holy stuff and once it's morning, they will leave. Just wait and she will tell you everything."

Will released his grip and he held his head. "Vampires? We are being chased by vampires?"

"Yup."

"Oh god. Oh god." Will's heart pounded as he gazed at the crucifix on the wall. The sight of the holy relic comforted him as he bowed his head down. "What else could happen?"

**XXX**

Xander's blood pumped as he fought off the vampires. The vampire leader watched as his minions turned to dust. "Not bad for a human."

"Thanks, living on the Hellmouth and fighting along side the Slayer really improves the fighting style." Xander said as he heaved the crossbow.

"Which one?"

"Sunnydale. Sunnydale, California."

"Oh! I've heard of that place. I've wanted to visit there before it collapsed. Can you believe the explanation that those humans gave? High focus earthquake."

"Really? I heard it was a meteor."

"Humans. They have no idea what is going on."

"Oh yeah." Xander nodded and then moaned in disbelief. "Cut that out!" He reloaded the crossbow and turned the leader into dust. He couldn't believe that he was having a decent conversation with a vampire again. He looked around for any more vampires and took a deep breath.

"Wow."

Xander turned around and saw Buffy and a few other people he didn't recognize. One of them was obviously a demon due to the leather outfit, her slightly scaly skin, and blue hair. "Buffy!"

"Xander!" The two ran up to each other and hugged briefly. "Look at you, you look all… machoy."

"Yeah, the eye patch really did it for me. Makes depth perception impossible though." Xander said as he tapped on his eye patch. "So, what's going on, Buff? You emailed and asked for my help. Said it was urgent."

Buffy blinked. "No, I didn't."

"That is weird." Xander frowned.

"From what is going on lately, not really." Spike said as he came up.

"It's a weirdness cy-" Xander stopped when he rubbed his eyes. Spike was here and not dust. "Oh my god! You're back!" He reached up and touched him to make sure he wasn't the First.

"Yes, I'm back." Spike sighed, "Been back for quite some time."

"But how? Did Willow…"

"Not even close. I was trapped in the amulet for the summer before being let out by Angel and wandered around LA as a ghost before being brought back by a former lawyer as part of some revenge scheme. After that, I stuck around using Angel's cars, helping the helpless, and fighting Angel when he was a puppet."

"A puppet. Wood or felt?"

"Felty. His nose comes right off!" Spike laughed.

"Hey! Don't tell him about the puppet thing!" The black man ordered.

"Robin?" Xander said as he squinted in the darkness. He was a tall bald black man about the same height but Robin had a bit more sophisticated tone in his voice.

"Gunn."

At once, Xander turned around looking for a guy with a gun. Gunn rolled his eyes. "I mean, I'm Charles Gunn but everyone calls me Gunn."

"Oh right." Xander couldn't help but feel like he was in high school again. Xander held out his hand and said, "Alexander Harris but everyone calls me 'Xander'. Who are these… people?" The guy said as he looked at the demonic looking woman.

Buffy came up and introduced, "Oh, that's Illyria, she's a demonic ex-god king, that girl over there is Leia, she's a slayer, don't tell her brother. He has no clue yet."

"He's Buffy's new boyfriend." Spike spoke up. "He's normal."

"He's not my boyfriend, not yet." Buffy snapped.

"Wow, congratulations, Buffy." Xander grinned at her.

"Guys. This is serious, and Will is being hunted by some demon." Leia said as she came up. "Please, we have to make sure he's safe."

"Don't worry, he's in that church and he's safe there." Xander pointed to the church in the distance.

**XXX**

Will stared out of the window and saw several figures standing around. One of them was Buffy, he can almost feel her. The other was Leia, he felt her almost as much. The others, he couldn't see. "I think it's safe now."

"Maybe." Josh said as he filled his water gun with holy water. "We better hurry and join them soon."

"And then you can finally tell me what real vampires are doing here." Will said as he picked up some crucifixes and put them on.

The holy water rippled as Josh stood up. The pews and everything else shook. Josh and Will looked at each other and in a grand entrance, the demon crashed through the back of the church and roared.

"Oh…" Will and Josh stared at it. "Run." Will backed away and then dashed off to the doors.

Debbi marched after the two as they dashed to where they last saw Xander to see him and the others. "DEMON!" Will shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Oh no, it's Debbi." Spike moaned.

"Past girlfriend?" Xander guessed.

"Brk varos mjki, Will Smith!" Debbi growled.

"Sorry, lady, but you're not getting Buffy's boyfriend." Spike said as he vamped out. "Get back. This is a rematch." Spike said as he pulled Will to the side.

Will's eyes bulged as he stepped back. How did Spike grow that face? He had seen this sort of thing but it was on TV caused by special effects. "Oh god." He stumbled back as Buffy got out a huge glowing scythe and swung it. Leia stayed close but had her own sword out.

"Leia!" Will watched as Buffy, Leia, and Fred who was in some blue costume, jumped at the demon and fought him. The demon flung Buffy into a gravestone and she winced. "Ow." She jumped back up. Leia flew right into her and then Illyria.

"This is humiliating." Illyria said as she got out of the pile. "You shall feel my wrath."

"Grrk brish." Debbi scoffed in a clear tone that said, 'Yeah right.'

"Hold it right there." Ryoma said as he and Giles walked up. The two held out their hands and chanted in some latin. For some reason, Will could understand them.

"_Ashes to ashes and stone to stone, revert this demon for a night and a day." _

In a flash, the demon turned into stone.

"It worked." Buffy sighed in relief.

"For now." Giles collapsed onto the ground. "The spell is temporary so we won't attract another, stronger version of this demon."

"How long will this last?"

"A couple of days. We should have enough time to figure out the best way to get rid of this monster before he can kill Will."

"Me?" Will asked as he walked forward shaking. "Okay, what's the deal with the demons, and the fangs and the glow weapons and the fangs and the super strong girls who don't look that strong, no offense, and the vampires and the fangs and did I mention the fangs?"

"Twice." Spike said as he reverted. "Relax, I don't bite people any more."

"Any more? Okay, that's it. What is going on?" Will demanded Leia. "Please, you're my sister, you have to be honest with me."

Leia sighed and closed her eyes. "I… I'm not like most girls. There is this select group of girls who are destined to fight monsters and especially vampires. I'm one of them, I am a vampire slayer." Leia's eyes teared up. "I'm so sorry but… you didn't get your amnesia from a car accident. You risked your life to save me from that demon and you would have died if it weren't for the blood transfusion I gave you. The last time I told you about being a slayer, you wanted to protect me even though you don't have any powers. I can't let that happen again. I'm sorry."

Will came up and hugged her. "Hey, it's okay. You're a superhero and you were just doing what any other superhero would do. At least… it makes sense." He smiled and then glanced at Buffy. "Are you a Slayer too?"

Buffy nodded. This was the moment of truth. "Yeah."

"She's the First Slayer, the one who's been around the longest." Spike said as he put his arm around her shoulders. "She will always be 'The Slayer' to me."

"Oh." Will slumped down onto the ground. "I'm… I'm going to sit down for a while."

**XXX**

Will lie on his bed as he thought of what happened last night. He didn't remember going home only sleeping. His sister is a supernatural vampire slayer as well as Buffy. Like many things, he wasn't completely shocked. He should be, he was but it felt like it made perfect sense. Logically, he should be afraid of Buffy. Buffy had vampires as past lovers and she had come back from the dead twice. She had been through so much in her life and he couldn't even remember what happened last year.

A knock at the door snapped him out of his train of thought. "Who is it?"

"Buffy."

He got up and answered the door. "What's up?"

"Oh…" Buffy paused as she looked down. "Well… I was just making sure you didn't go all postal after finding out about Leia and…"

"You being a superpowerful vampire slayer? I'm fine." Will looked down at her. Still, he was intrigued by her even more. The way she looked at him when she confessed her secret, she looked so vulnerable, so scared. Was she so used to the supernatural that the concept of a normal man was too hard for her? He wants to help her. He wants to make her smile. "Buffy, it's okay. Really."

"Well, it's just that… me and normal boyfriends never really mesh. Three of my ex-boyfriends aren't human and one of my human ex-boyfriends had been part of a secret anti-demon agency who had experimented with Spike."

"Your vampire ex-boyfriend with the bad bleach job and the soul."

"Yeah."

Will shrugged. "Well, I have a sister as a slayer and I have a bad case of amnesia. Does that make me normal?"

"Compared to my past boyfriends, yeah. So, you're not bugged about me."

"Nope."

"About the fact that I kill demons."

"Everyone has a hobby."

"Or that I had died twice?"

"Well, I sort of died once when I had that accident."

"What about the fact that I can bench press you?"

Will paused. "Well, that is troublesome to think about especially now that I know that my little sister is the same way. Oh my god. My little sister can beat me up. I'm doomed."

Buffy lightly jabbed him in the arm. "Girl power."

"Ow." Will rubbed his arm then he took her hand. "Show me your world. I want to be part of that world."

"My world is a scary world filled with demons and monsters and even people who are scarier than Debbi. You might not survive."

"I don't care. Show me. Show me everything." Will whispered as he came closer. "Let me see more of your world so I can be with you."

Buffy's eyes widened as she stepped closer. She didn't want to endanger him but only those who understood the world she lives in can be close to her. Something deep in her believes that he would understand and even thrive in it. "Will."

"Buffy…"

The two leaned next to each other and then the door opened up. "Guys." Xander said as he opened the door. "The monster statue's been teleported to the woods like you asked."

"XANDER!" Buffy glared at him.

"I was interrupting something. Bad Xander." The one-eyed man said as he stepped back. "Carry on."

"You come back here!" Buffy yelled as he and Will chased him down the stairs. "You had to ruin my moments!"

"I didn't do it on purpose." Xander explained, "Really."

Will watched the scene and shook his head. "Incredible."

**XXX**

"Wow." Will said as he looked around the bomb shelter which was being used as a form of headquarters. There were pictures, old books, and everything that looks like it came right out of Harry Potter.

"Tell me about it." Leia said, "They really turned the place into a headquarters. They'll get rid of that monster, don't worry."

"I'm not. So… can you really benchpress me?"

Leia picked up Will and held him in her arms. "I've have been wanting to do that for months."

"This is very strange." Will said as he got out. "So, what's it like being a slayer?"

"What?"

"What's it like being a slayer?" Will repeated, "Tell me, I need to know."

"So, you can understand Buffy? I've seen the way you two have been looking at each other. I never saw you so serious about one woman without the thought of sex in my life." She paused, "You aren't going to have sex with her right?"

"Not unless it's in the right way. And it's not just about Buffy, it's also about you. I want to be part of the world where you and Buffy are."

"Oh." Leia frowned. "Well, it's scary. It's like being in a horror movie only you can't turn it off. Mom and Dad knows about my secret and so does Josh and Ryoma but that's it. I don't have many friends at school."

"Oh."

"Yeah, Ryoma is my watcher. Watchers help the slayer with the demon hunting things and they teach the slayer everything they know." Leia explained, "He really helped me when you were in that coma."

"I'm glad. Say, was Giles Buffy's watcher? He and Buffy seemed close in a fatherly way."

"Yeah, he's famous among the other watchers. He's been with Buffy for over seven years. He, Willow, Xander, and Spike had been really close with Buffy."

"You seem to know a lot about her."

"Well…" Leia blushed, "Buffy was a close mentor to me and the other slayers. Everyone knows about her adventures in Sunnydale, California. I was really interested since our towns had the same name. She really helped me with my slayer problems."

"Everyone needs a Yoda." Will grinned at her. "No shame in having a hero to look up to."

"Not really. It's such a relief to finally be honest with you again. Even though, that this will probably kill you." Leia sighed, "Will, are you sure that you are who you are?"

"What?"

"It's just… Buffy's friends and family always has these spells cast on them; possessions, bodyswapping, and even being turned into various things. You aren't acting like you since you woke up and I'm worried that you have been changed by something else."

Will sighed as he hugged his sister. "I know that I act a little differently than I had before the accident but maybe it's just a coincidence. I'll try to find out what's going on with my mind and if it turns out that I'm cursed or possessed, we'll fix it. I promise."

"Thanks."

**XXX**

Willow chanted as she sat in a pentagram gazing out into the vast emptiness of space. Xander watched his friend as she floated in mid air with bright white eyes. She stopped her chant and turned around while floating. "Xander." Willow said as she landed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I got this weird email from Buffy but she didn't send it." Xander said as he came up and hugged her. "Been too long. How's Kennedy?"

"Fine, she's off on a mission." Willow smiled slightly. "How about you?"

"Fine. You look great, a real goddess."

"Not really, I've been working hard to help out a couple of people." Willow walked up to a table and held out a scroll. "One of Spike's friends is possessed by a demon, I mean completely possessed and I'm looking for a way to help her out."

"You mean that blue girl, she was human?"

"Yeah and she was a very sweet human too. Spike cared for her as much as he did for Buffy, maybe even more."

"No. Captain Peroxide actually cares for a human more than Buffy! Hell has frozen over." Xander gasped in mock shock.

"Don't make fun of that. Things are really iffy between Spike and Giles and Gunn about Illyria, I'm going to help heal that rift by getting Fred back but by doing things the right way. I'm not klutzy spell caster Willow any more."

"So, that's what happened."

The two turned around to see Will standing there. "Great, another sneaker. Can't you guys just hum or something?" Xander complained as he came up.

"Sorry." Will looked down sheepishly. "I just heard that Willow could help me with my amnesia."

"Oh, the amnesia. I'm so sorry it's just that I have to deal with Illyria and that monster that's attacking you and to find Angel." Willow blabbed, "I'm a very busy witch."

"That's okay, I don't mind. Saving souls is much more important than me. Actually, I want to learn more about Buffy and what it takes to be a Slayer."

"Buffy, ah… your girlfriend." Xander nodded as he grinned, "You like her?"

"Yeah, she's really nice and she smells good. The fact that she's a slayer make things easier to understand with her."

"You came to the right guy." Xander put his arm around Will's shoulders and guided him out of the room. "You see, I like you. We may know each other for only a very short time but I know that you could be great for Buffy. Do you know why?"

Will shook his head.

"You have a pulse and a reflection."

Will stared at him for a long moment. "What?"

"You're human, a nice normal human with no real powers and strange past, except for the amnesia thing but that's way more normal than what we're used to." Xander said as he and Will sat down on the porch in the sunlight. "Buffy's past boyfriends haven't been that normal."

"So I heard, constantly." Will said.

"Yeah, and you have to be careful. You see, people like you and me, we can never be like Buffy or Spike or even Giles. I really hope that you will make it farther than Riley. He lost Buffy because he was part of some demon hunting group." Xander sighed, "People like us can never experience true glory of being better than the others."

"You saved me and Josh." Will pointed out, "And I saved Leia from that demon. I think."

"Yeah, we do our part. I saved the world twice."

Will's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah…" Xander shrugged, "I didn't do anything much. The first time, it's a really long story. It has to do with Angelus."

"Angelus." Will let the name rolled off his tongue. It felt familiar almost vile even though that it was latin for 'Angel'. "Is he related to Angel?"

"He is Angel, at least Angel's evil half." Xander said, "Okay, first of all, Angel is a vampire. He is the most dangerous, evil, despicable vampires in all of history. He makes Dracula look like a saint. Angelus, Drusilla, Darla, and Spike roam around Europe for years terrorizing innocent citizens and nuns. At least, until a gypsy group cursed Angelus into having a human soul."

"Gypsies? You mean, they can really curse people?"

"Well, maybe not like in the movies but they do have powers. You see, vampires loose their souls when they are turned. Angelus regained his soul and became Angel. He wandered around for a hundred years before being sent to Buffy to serve as her guardian of sorts. Whoever decided that was either insane or very blind. Angel hang around us for a while, helping us, giving us cryptic messages, and getting close to Buffy. They were very close." Xander's eye narrowed in jealousy. "In fact, on Buffy's seventeenth birthday, she actually lost her virginity to Angel and he lost his soul and became Angelus again."

"Huh? How did Buffy make Angel lose his soul? Was it a slayer thing because I don't want to lose my soul?"

"The gypsy curse has this funny loophole. If Angel ever experiences a moment of perfect happiness, bye bye Angel and hello Angelus."

"And experiencing true love with the woman of your life who was willing to give up her virginity to her was perfect happiness."

"Bingo."

Will's stomach turned. He didn't like the way this story was going. Yet, he need to know more. "So… what happened?"

"Okay, Angelus let loose his rein of terror. He joined up with Drusilla and Spike, who was recovering from his fight with Buffy. He murdered lots of people, one of which was a friend of ours, Jenny Calendar. She was part of the same gypsy race that had cursed Angel so many years ago. Ms. Calendar was also Giles' girlfriend."

"Oh." Will muttered. "Why didn't they just recurse Angelus?"

"We can't. We didn't have the soul curse at the time and when we did, it was in a different language. The only ones who could cast it that was in this country were dead. It took us months to figure out what it was. It was painful. Things got so bad that Angelus decided to end the world by bring forth this demonic goddess, Alcatha, into the world. He had beaten Giles to a pulp to get information, he had beaten up Willow, he had eaten her fish, long story, and he had Drusilla kill Kendra, another slayer. In the end, Buffy had to face Angelus herself. So, she did with Spike's help."

Will frowned and then asked, "Say, when did Angel regained his soul? How did Spike help since he's evil? And how did you help save the world?"

"I don't know the deal with Spike. He is always strange for a vampire. Well, Willow tried to recurse Angelus the first time but she failed. Then, she had me go to Buffy to tell her that she was going to try again. You have to understand that Willow had no experience in this type of spell and she had a concussion. The fate of the world was at stake so I did what any true friend would do. I told Buffy that Willow told her to 'Kick his ass.'"

"You lied." A cold feeling overwhelmed Will. He couldn't understand why he felt betrayed since this story was about a man he never met before.

"Yeah. I lied to save the world. Buffy sent Angel to Hell just after Willow resouled him to seal the gateway to Alcatha's dimension and the world is safe."

"At the expense of one man's life!" Will yelled, "I may not know much about souls and vampires but I do know that Angel wasn't himself when he did those things as Angelus. Angel suffered Hell for something he didn't do. Don't you feel even a little guilty?"

"No reason, he came back didn't he? And the world is safe and he didn't show any damage. If I had to, I would do it again." Xander said firmly.

Will took a deep breath. He didn't want to punch the guy who had saved his neck. Yet, he really want to hit him. Then, he looked up at the doorway. His eyes widened. "Oh my god."

"What?" Xander asked confused.

"Did… did you ever tell Buffy about that lie?"

Xander paused. He haven't really thought of it after that day. Thankfully, he didn't even think of that while Buffy could read minds. Except for that small slip up when Buffy was going to fight Anya, that lie never came up. "No, never. Why?"

Will just pointed up to the door and Xander turned around to see Buffy standing there with tears in her eyes.

To Be Continued…


	11. Just Buy Shoes

Prophesy After the Fact

Part Eleven

By Marie Nomad

Alexander Harris had been through many things in his life. He had been though at least six apocalypses, one which had been caused by his best friend, he had been abused as a boy, he had to stake a friend who had been turned into a vampire, and he had even endured a bachelor party where half of the attendants weren't human. Not once, had he been so scared.

Buffy stood there staring at him. Her small frame trembled as tears threatened to overwhelm her. "Buffy…"

"Don't 'Buffy' me." Buffy growled as she stepped back. "Stay away!"

"Huh? But-"

"If you get any closer, I will kill you." Buffy warned as she turned around and ran away.

"Oh boy." Xander muttered as he leaned close to Will. "Never make Buffy mad."

Will nodded and then clenched his fist. He didn't know what to do. He didn't have anything to do with this and yet it just felt like it was his fault. What could he do? "Right."

**XXX**

Buffy was mad, she was miserable, and hurt. All she could think about were those last two years of high school of hell. No one wanted to be around her, everyone condemned her for wanting to be with Angel. Xander was the ring leader of the 'I hate Angel' club. How dare he lied to her and then bragged about it to Will? She marched into the bomb shelter and saw a punching bag.

"ARGH!" She screamed as she punched a hole in the bag.

"Hey, I just fixed that." Spike complained and then got rewarded by a punch in the face.

"Oh no." Buffy saw her fist and then pulled Spike up. "I'm so sorry. I… I'm in a very bad mood right now."

"No kidding." Spike muttered, "Okay what happened? The last time I checked, you were happy that Will was taking the news of you being a slayer well."

"I was. I was ecstatic." Buffy growled, "He was asking people about my life and what it means to be around Slayers which is okay. After all, he needs help and a distraction from that demon that's going to wake up and kill him. Then, Xander… that lying hypocrite who can't stand anyone who isn't human…" Buffy held out her hands and made strangling noises.

"What did he do now?"

Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. "He lied to me. He has been lying to me for years."

Spike blinked. "About what?"

"The nerve of him, hanging around me, pretending to be better than me morally. Oh yeah, I slept with a couple of vampires but he had been with an ex-vengeance demon who had been around longer than Angelus and Darla combined! That make things oh so better and he wanted to be with Anya way more than he wants me to be with anyone that makes me happy!"

"Buffy!" Spike grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her eyes. "What did he do to you? You know that I would do anything to make it better."

"He… he lied to me."

"I know, we got that far."

"He…" Buffy took a deep breath. She had to tell someone. Spike wasn't perfect; he hated Angel but not to wish him to Hell. Will might feel a little overwhelmed with what was going on. Leia wouldn't know what was going on. She didn't know Gunn and Illyria to confide in. She doubt Giles would be sympathetic to her and Willow was in deep meditation that can't be interrupted. "Do you remember that time when Angelus was about to end the world by summoning Alcatha?"

"How could I forget? It was the first time that you and me joined together to fight a common enemy." Spike grinned.

"It wasn't for the best of intentions." Buffy warned.

"True, but what did you expect from an evil soulless monster that I was? What did Xander lie to you about?"

"Willow tried to resoul Angel before it was too late. She told Xander to tell me what she was about to do. He caught up with me and told me that Willow told him to tell me 'Kick his ass'. Exact words."

Spike's jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me that he had the stones to lie to you like that and condemned Angel to a lifetime of Hell? If it weren't for the fact that I'm a champion now, I would be patting him on the back." Buffy glared at him and Spike held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just as mad as you are. He shouldn't lie to you like that. Seriously."

"I know. It's just that… it hurts. It hurts so much and I don't know why." Buffy sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Why didn't he tell me? He should have told me. He always act like he was right and… I don't know what to do."

"Maybe it's because it was years ago. He never had the guts to tell you. I have grudges that lasted for decades. Sometimes, these grudges that came out feel worse because they grow stronger with time. Back when I was human, I was teased and ostracized by this group of wankers. They taunted my poetry and I hated them. Even after I killed them, that pain still remains. Took me a hundred years before I summoned enough courage to show my poetry again. That pounce will come around. If not…"

"Thanks but I just need to beat up something before I can talk to him."

"I know just the girl." Spike said as he got up and came back with Illyria. "Blue, the Slayer here needs to vent some anger."

"Wait, I can't just beat up your friend." Buffy argued.

"I do not get beat up so easily." Illyria said, "You are filled with rage and anger. Let me help you with your rage."

Buffy pondered. She couldn't go out and stake vampires since it's daytime and she didn't want to hurt Xander too much. "All right but if you start hurting, tell me."

"Very well."

**XXX**

"I am in trouble." Xander moaned as he and Will sat in the kitchen. "I'm so dead. Buffy is going to kill me."

"Maybe, you should apologize."

"Like that would help. I've made girls mad before and they take forever for them to forgive me."

"Like what?"

"Oh… when Cordelia, my ex-girlfriend caught me and Willow making out and Anya for ditching her at the alter."

Will frowned at him. "Gee, I wonder why would it take forever for them to forgive you?"

"Maybe, I can make it up to Buffy. Like flowers or chocolates. Shoes! Buffy loves shoes! What do you think?"

"You're asking a guy who didn't remember making girls mad at him for relationship advice?"

"Oh." Xander pondered. "Maybe, I should ask G-man about this."

"Gunn?"

"Giles." Xander said and then saw the Englishman coming in. "Hey, G-man, great timing. I have a small problem with Buffy, actually a big problem."

"Oh really?" Giles looked at him. After the trouble with Illyria, Fred, and Spike, he needed a much needed distraction. While a giant demon threatening Buffy's new boyfriend was distracting enough, this was better. "What happened?"

"Well…" Xander sighed, "Will was asking me about Buffy and what it takes to be around her and so I told him about the times I helped saved the world and I didn't know that she was there and I bragged about how I didn't tell Buffy that Willow was going to restore Angel's soul when he was threatening the world with Alcatha. Buffy overhead and is really mad and I don't want her to be mad at me."

It took a moment for Giles to translate the garbage. "You lied to Buffy when Willow was trying to restore Angel's soul?" Xander nodded. "I… this is…" Giles took off his glasses and wiped them. "How could you?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time! Besides, I don't really see what the big deal is. Angel came back from Hell after only a few months and Buffy seemed fine."

"A few months on Earth are the equivalent of a hundred years in Hell!" Giles yelled, "And Buffy never recovered from what experience. You remember what happened with Dawn. She would rather die than sacrifice another one. Don't you remember how you, we treated her when she came back after running away?"

"She deserved it, she abandoned us!"

"After killing the love of her life." Will spoke up, "I'm surprised she didn't do anything more drastic like killing herself or turning to drugs. How did you treat Angel?"

"Well… we…"

"They tried to kill him." Leia finished as she came in. "I know all about what happened from the stories. Faith was called and Xander and everyone else gathered to kill Angel. One of those cautionary tales of sleeping with the dead."

"Okay, so maybe we overreacted a little." Xander said feeling very uncomfortable.

"But, didn't you guys like shunned Buffy after you found out that Angel was alive?"

"No, we didn't do that."

"We did." Giles sighed, "I saw it. I was blinded by rage and so were everyone else. We confronted her and buried her in pressure. All that we did back then caused a chain of events that made Buffy the way she was." He took off his glasses and put his hands over his eyes. "I still hate him."

Will watched the scene and rubbed his hand over his heart. The pain was starting again, he could almost see Xander with two eyes and a bunch of others coming at him with stakes and torches. "Would you guys do that to me if I turn out to be inhuman?"

"No, of course not!" Leia denied, "I love you, you're my brother. If you came back wrong, we'll fix you."

"There's nothing wrong with you." Xander insisted, "You're as human as me. That's not the point. The point is that Buffy is really mad at me and I need to figure out a way to make her not so mad. Leia, you're a slayer girl, if I say… told a lie that made your brother fall into Hell and you found out, what would make you not mad at me any more?"

Leia glared at him darkly. "If anything happens to Will, I would demand that you serve me for the rest of your mortal life and use you as bait when I hunt vampires."

Silence filled the room. "Eh… something less extreme?" Xander asked.

"And shoes. Really expensive shoes." Leia added.

"Just apologize to her." Giles offered, "Let her know how sorry you are."

"Maybe, I can ignore it. I mean, maybe she'll cool down and forget about it." Xander said optimistically.

At that moment, Gunn came in and asked, "Say, you guys got any ginseng? Buffy's pounding Illyria nine ways into Monday while screaming your name." He looked at Xander. "What did you do to make her pissed off at you?"

"Where's the best place to buy shoes at?" Xander asked Leia.

**XXX**

Willow sighed in relief as she stretched to get the knots out of her legs. It took her several hours of meditation and soul searching but she had finally felt ready to get Fred back. It wasn't like in the old days when she would just cast any spell without consulting anyone. Goddess knows that she can't repeat the insane consequences that happened after her spell casting. The last time she cast anything so major; the world became full of slayers.

Before she knew it, countless girls were changed like Buffy and some of them suffered because of that. A few were insane at the time and they went on a rampage, many had their lives tossed into chaos, Leia were one of the lucky ones and her brother ended up brain damaged because of her slayer duties.

She had to do something right with her power.

"Maybe, chocolates too." Xander said, "What do you think?"

"The shoes should be enough." Will replied, "How did Willow react to this? After all, you lied about her."

"Lied about what?"

Xander gulped. It was bad enough to have Buffy mad at him but Willow too? Willow has enough power to awaken every potential into a slayer on the planet and could make herself invisible to only he and Buffy just by thinking. "Well… you see… do you remember that time with Alcatha when you sent me to Buffy to tell her that you were going to restore Angel's soul? Well… I lied to her and didn't tell her. I told Will about it and Buffy over heard me and she's mad at me but please don't be mad at me too."

Willow's face paled. "You… didn't tell her? How could you?"

"I just don't see what's the big deal is. Angel came back fine and everything worked out. I just need to help Buffy figure that out."

"If you call Angel being trapped in hell for over a hundred years fine." Will muttered under his breath. "How would you feel if you had to send someone you love to Hell?"

"I'd feel terrible but that's not the point. Angel came back and he and Buffy broke up because he was a vampire."

"Or was it because you guys forced us apart." Buffy said from the doorway. "Admit it, when Angel left, you were ecstatic. In fact, you were nice to me again after he left."

"What?" Xander gawked. "Now wait… Angel was evil. He broke your heart."

"After you ran him off." Buffy accused, "I was alone that whole year. I sent my boyfriend to Hell and no body cared. You just accused me again and again and… I feel like I can't trust any of you again with what I feel. It hurts a lot… and what hurts me more is that you told Will but you never told me. You said that you would do it again. What about Anya? She was killing people and I was getting ready to stop her. You weren't ready to give her up. You even told me that I never understood but I understand perfectly. I'm tired. I don't want to think about this any more. Right now, there's a demon that's going to kill Will if I don't do something." She glared at Xander. "Unless you don't want me to save him too." Buffy stormed out.

"Really expensive shoes." Will advised as he ran after her.

**XXX**

Buffy sighed as she sat down. She was tired from her bash fest. "Buffy, are you okay?" Will asked as he came in.

"Oh yeah. Just a few rounds with an ex-Old God and I'm good." Buffy grinned at him. "Don't worry, I've been through worse."

"I know but you look miserable." Will said as he sat down next to her. "You can talk to me about this Angel guy. I won't get all jealous about him. Okay, a little, but that's it."

"You know, Faith, a fellow Slayer, once asked me what was my hardest kill. I've dealt with demons, vampires, a hell god and all sorts of nasties. The worst kill that I ever had to do was Angel. No body seems to understand that. I never really told anyone how much I still have nightmares about that day. It's pretty stupid to even talk about it."

"You sent your boyfriend to hell and you still feel guilty. That's not stupid. That's normal." Will hugged Buffy. "You have a right to feel bad about what happened but Angel did get out right?"

"Yeah. It still hurts. I don't want to do it again. Never again. Do you see what my problem is? I'm cursed. Every man I go with will suffer, including you."

"I won't die." Will took her hands. "Buffy, I just got back my life and I'm not losing it again. I'm not going to die."

"What about when we find Angel?"

"I don't know. I want to meet the guy and see what he's like. He sounds interesting." Will said, "I mean, I have no past and that guy has plenty of past. Do you think he would loan me some of his past?"

"What? I…" Buffy jabbed him in the arm. "Very funny. Seriously, how would you react meeting Angel?"

"I don't know. It should at least make you feel better when you find him. After that, we'll just see what happens next." Will shrugged, "Oh well, I'm hungry. Wanna go and get something to eat?"

"Are you ever not hungry?"

"Once in a while."

**XXX**

"I feel so much better." Buffy said as she and Will went back to her hotel room. Somehow, being around Will, made everything felt better. She felt relief just being close to him. Then, she remembered the demon that she had to fight and Angel who was nearby.

She opened the hotel room and there was silence. All around were boxes of chocolates, roses, and shoes. "What's with all the shoes?" Buffy wondered as she tipped toed around the packages.

"Here's a note." Will said as he picked up a card. "Dear Buffy, I'm sorry. Love Xander."

"That guy. Do you think that he could really buy my forgiveness with all this?" Buffy laughed as she sat down. "He must've think that I think like Cordelia. This is so like him."

Will chuckled as he sat down beside her. "At least he's trying."

"I guess." Buffy shook her head. "He was one of my best friends, he did help me a lot after Angel left.

Then, an image came to his mind. "Oh my god. I think… I think I remember doing something like this."

"Say what?"

"I mean… I remembered buying a bunch of women's clothes with a friend who… seems gay. Never saw him before in my life and I had the bags all over a desk that belongs to this girl. She was mad at me for some reason so I bought her forgiveness with clothes." Will looked to the side. "Oh my god. I think I actually remembered that."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked as her eyes widened. "You really remembered that?"

"I guess." Will looked to the side. "It feels like a memory and it doesn't look like some movie." He reached up and hugged Buffy. "Sorry, I was just…"

"Hey, you're getting your memories back. Granted, that's one memory but it's a start and you'll get all of your past back." Buffy said hopefully.

"Maybe." Will rubbed his head as he tried to go over that precious memory. It felt strange, something about that memory doesn't make sense. What was he doing in LA five years ago?

To Be Continued…


End file.
